Taken by the Darkness
by eidolondestroyer
Summary: Riku's side of the Kingdom Hearts story. What happened in between his brief encounters with Sora? This is my theory on just that. Told in the first person. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**- Yup, you guessed it. I don't own Kingdom Hearts. The combined, unlikely combination of Squaresoft and Disney own the game, characters locations, items, dialogue, etc.

            As I lean back against the tree, I look out into the gray sky, so bleak and empty, yet soon to be filled with a bright array of colors. Sora and Kairi, they were never willing to get up early enough to watch the sunrise, nor would they get up for another one or two hours. After the sun rose, I would always train with my sword. It's more a toy than anything else, but one day I'll have an honest to goodness sword in my hand, and I'll be great with it.

            Or better than Sora, at least. It's interesting, how we are rivals and best friends nonetheless. Friends make the best enemies, I suppose. It doesn't matter anyway. We've both become much better than our former selves by pushing each other to the limit. Naturally, I come out on top no matter what. Sora has always been one step behind, that's just the way things are.

            As I look to my right, I see the bench-like part of the tree. I don't have a clue as to how the tree deformed like that, but it made it an ideal spot for Sora, Kairi, and I to talk. It was our spot. Sora and Kairi sat on the tree itself, and I would always lean back against the tough bark. I then look above, to the top of the tree, and see the real purpose for my attention having shifted.

            I hop up onto the tree and walk across the length of it, balancing myself so as not to fall off. When I can go no further I reach out and pluck a large fruit from the tree. The fruit looks like two intertwining stars, a very appropriate look. I had waited for weeks for the paopu fruit to ripen, the first of the year, and now my efforts had paid off. Seeing the fruit in my hands, I wonder what I'll do with it. Give it to Kairi? Sora would hate me, but then again, it wasn't like he wouldn't hesitate to give Kairi one. The only real problem was if Kairi would reject it.

            I temporarily set aside those thoughts as a faint ray of light begins to appear in the distant horizon. I look out and see the familiar image of the sun slowly but surely rise into it's resting place in the sky, igniting the air into brilliant flame while doing so. Noticing it's position on the horizon, I do the same thing that I do every day. I reach out to the sun, positioned at the world's edge. If it is beyond the edge of the world, then what is beyond it? Could it be that, should I travel beyond it, I would find another world? Would I find another person looking at the sun, wondering of other worlds? Whatever the answer, I have to find out!

            I almost have the means to do so. Along with Sora and Kairi, I'm building a raft. However, it seems as though I'm the only one who actually works on it, Sora and Kairi just want to come along with me when I set out. Kairi probably wants to see if she can find her hometown, and Sora follows Kairi.

            After the sun has risen to its peak position, the red sky is slowly cooled off and fades into a tranquil blue, punctuated by fluffy white clouds that roll by gently. With that part of my day over, I hide the paopu fruit in a hollowed-out log and walk across the bridge connecting the miniature island to the main island. I listen to the rhythmic thud of my shoes tapping against the wooden planks forming the bridge, and at the very end of the bridge stop to wonder what I'll do while I wait for Sora or Kairi, or potentially both, to wake up. I had gotten up early, even for myself, today, and had already trained. My muscles were fatigued from the strain I had put on them, so it was probably best to call it a day for training. One extra workout wasn't worth missing five because I overdid it.

            The best thing I come up with is to continue my work on the raft. I hop down from my position onto the shoreline, heading through the shack is too slow for me, and walk across the beach to the door that separates the main part of Destiny Island from the place where the raft is. After walking through it I walk across the broken bridge, jumping when necessary. I spot the raft in the same place I had left it before, and easily see that no one else had worked on it yesterday. I walk over to it and look at it. If it were to hold three people and provisions, I would probably need to add…maybe three or four more logs.

            First things first, however, and making sure that the raft stayed together is of utmost importance. I look at the knots Sora had clumsily tied to bind the logs together. They had come loose and would never hold the logs together long enough to make a trip of considerable distance, like the one that the raft had been created for in the first place. I shake my head and stoop down. I quickly untied the rope and begin to lash the logs together in a more proper manner. I tediously make sure that the rope is bound tightly around the logs, and when I'm done tie the two ends of the rope together with a strong knot. When I first conceived the idea of building a raft I had gotten a number of manuals teaching me how to properly build one. I had later given them to Sora, but I personally suspect that he lost them after one or two weeks of saying "Tomorrow I'll read them." It would certainly be a plausible explanation.

            After I had finished tying the ropes I went off in search of logs. I searched all of the nooks and crannies within Destiny Island, but I only came up with one log. As I head back, defeated in my task, I look at the secret place. The odds of my finding a log in there were slim to none, but whenever I passed by it I felt drawn into its dark depths. I set the log I found down and duck into the narrow passageway. The passage is almost pitch black, but I know all of the twists and turns by heart and walk through them without even having to think about it.

            When I reach the end I am able to stand up at my full height in the wider spaces. I walk over to the door at the far end of the cave and slowly guide my hand across its surface. I then proceed to push and pull against the door, but as always it is in vain. The door simply will not budge. And yet, I come here so often and attempt to see if I can finally make it open. I don't know why, but the door has a certain allure to it, I can't help myself from seeing if I can open it.

            I sigh in resignation before I begin to head back. Trying to open the door is a futile gesture, and I don't know why I keep trying to do it. After I emerge from the hidden cave, I look to the beach and find Kairi standing over a sleeping Sora. She has a mischievous look on her face, and she taps Sora lightly on the shoulder. Sora began to lift his eyelids open, and upon seeing Kairi standing over him jumps up. Kairi giggled lightly seeing this and teasingly reprimanded Sora for falling asleep on the beach.

            "Sora, you lazy bum. I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here." Sora immediately jumped to his defense and tried to deny that he had fallen asleep on the beach.

            "No! This huge black THING swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't-" Sora was promptly interrupted as Kairi hit the backside of his head.

            "Are you still dreaming?" she asked, and Sora appeared to think for a second.

            "It wasn't a dream! Or was it? I don't know. What was that place? So bizarre…"

            I continued to listen to them talk, and after a while I decided to cut in to the conversation.

            "Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about me?" I asked, and they both turn their heads to see me, carrying the log with me. A hint of curiosity plays across their faces as to why I'm carrying a log, so I decide to enlighten them and enlist their help in one fell swoop.

            "So, I guess I'm the only one working on the raft." I toss the log I was holding to Sora. He attempts to catch it, but it proves too heavy for Sora and he collapses under its weight. I have to make a concerted effort not to laugh, and decided to focus my attention elsewhere. I turn to Kairi and, using what I heard from her and Sora's conversation and past experience, make an observation.

            "And you're just as lazy as he is." I tell her. She smiles at the comment for one reason or another and quickly replies.

            "So you noticed. Okay, we'll finish it together. I'll race you!" I groan inwardly upon hearing this, as my muscles have begun to become sore and stiff from my earlier workout, and have no trouble voicing my protest.

            "What? Are you kidding?" I ask her, but Kairi was dead set on starting the race.

            "Ready? Go!" I bolt to catch up with her and notice Sora pulling up behind me, having got off to a slow start. Normally I would beat him in a race easily, but I was far too tired and was only able to stay near him and Kairi. As I did I listened to Kairi, who was laughing during the race, and a part of me began speaking to her, telling her of my woes.

            Kairi, how I envy you. You do not know the sorrow, the anguish, and the darkness like I do. The worst thing is that while you are content with what you have, desiring nothing but to have your life, the one thing I yearn for the most, the one thing I desperately try to attain, is and always will be impossible for me to gain.

            I desire your heart.

Okay, and there's my first chapter. Please tell me what you think, constructive criticism is appreciated! Review! Now! Please!


	2. Chapter 2

            From my perch on the miniature island, I watch as Sora scampers to and from, looking for materials with which to build the raft. My part in such a scavenger hunt is done, and was done for some time. I did help out a bit more though, and I had handed a few choice logs to Kairi a while ago. Now I am able to just relax. I notice that Sora, after finding an item during his search, will celebrate by challenging Wakka, Selphie, or Tidus to a one-on-one battle. In each of his battles he manages to prevail, but not without having quite a bit of difficulty. I can't help but smirk, he thinks that he and I are equals in battle, yet while I can take on Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus at the same time and win with ease, he struggles to beat them as individuals.

            After Sora found the second-to-last item he needed, a log, he entered the abandoned shack and ascended the stairs. He then proceeded to walk over to me. His gave is focused near the center of the island, and as I look over to see what he's looking at I notice the log that I had placed on the island. I had found it earlier, and figured that if Sora saw it, he would come and get it, and seeing how close at hand I would be, he would most likely challenge me to a battle. I was always looking for more and more opportunities to prove how superior to him I am. Even in my tired state I could beat him, no contest.

            After Sora had finished crossing the bridge, he walked over to me and greeted me with a simple "Hey". Apparently my trick had worked.

            "I already gave my stuff to Kairi." I said nonchalantly, and then I quickly added on a challenge to a quick battle. Sora, as always, accepted. I casually reached over to my sword, which I had placed on top of the paopu tree, more specifically, Sora's spot on the paopu tree. Sora brought out his own sword, which he had fastened to his belt, and walked to the other side of the island. When we were on opposite sides of the island, we then rushed towards each other. At the last possible second I stopped and twisted to the side, and a charging Sora blew past me. As he brought himself to a stop I rushed in and hit his back with my sword, and immediately leapt backwards to dodge Sora's counterattack. This was proving to be easier than I would have expected.

            No matter how easy Sora would make it for me, though, Sora wouldn't give up until it was over. He once again rushed at me, this time more cautiously. He makes a quick slash with his sword, but I bring mine up into a defensive position and block the attack before making a quick parry that clips Sora's flank. Sora was undeterred by this and made a lower attack that managed to make contact. I try not to flinch, doing so would give Sora another opportunity to strike, but the attack hit too hard. I stagger back slightly and Sora lands another blow, this one causing me to lose my balance. I fall backwards and hit the stone ground hard, but the pain does not bother me. This situation is actually rather advantageous for me. I roll back before leaping up in a flying kick, striking Sora squarely in the chest, and as a result knocking the wind out of him.

            As Sora recovers from the blow I mercilessly hit him with my sword until finally he is knocked to the ground and, fearing further injury, does not get up. Too easy, even for a battle with Sora.

            I extend a hand to Sora, who refuses it and gets up on his own. After he gets up he lowers his head in shame and yells something about the score being zero to one. I don't what he's talking about, if we were keeping score it would be at least zero to a thousand by now. Regardless, after admitting defeat Sora picks up the log I had left and walks off to give it to Kairi, along with everything else he found. They talk briefly before they begin to head over to me. I look out to the sky and notice that the sun is beginning to set, and the sky already transforms into myriad reds and oranges. I hadn't realized how quickly the day had passed, but was rather happy. This was the best part of the day. Sora, Kairi and I would meet up and talk as friends. Sora and I would be able to set aside our rivalries, and all would be well, if only just for a moment.

            After they arrive at the island and have walked up to me, they each get onto their spot on the tree. Sora jumps up and onto the trunk whilst Kairi walks up the trunk from its base to her spot. After they settle, a moment passes in silence before Sora speaks up.

            "So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?" he says, obviously wanting to talk about our upcoming journey.

            "Could be." I reply, "We'll never know by staying here."

            "But how far could a raft take us?" Sora asks in turn, and I can't help but wonder. How far would a raft take us? It's made to travel across the sea, and the sea is bound to the world, but then again, it is impossible to know. No one has ever tried a voyage such as the one I plan to embark upon, so how can someone say for certain that we can't find another world on a raft?

            "Who knows?" I say in answer to Sora's question. "If we have to, we'll think of something else." As I say the words I know how true they are, I won't stop until I've found another world. I've come this far already, and I will not be stopped. Nothing, no person or object or force, has ever been able to stop me, and I will not let the problem of interplanetary trouble be one that will confound me. It might take years, but I guarantee that I will travel to other worlds. It's that simple.

            It is then that Kairi decides to join in on the conversation. "So, suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?"

            "Well, I haven't really thought about it." I answer truthfully. I had always thought of how to get to other worlds, perhaps I should have been thinking more about what I would do in other worlds as well. Kairi has always been able to make me ask myself such questions. She always expands the borders of my thoughts. It's one of the things that draws me to her. I then decide to continue.

            "It's just… I've always wondered why we're here, on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds… Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

            Sora then proceeds to lie down on the trunk of the tree, perhaps tired from the day. It was one with more rigor than he's used to.

            "I don't know." he says, and I can tell that he really doesn't. Sora doesn't give anywhere near as much thought to these kinds of things as I do.

            "That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So, let's go." I say, my voice fairly quiet for the last part. Kairi seems rather impressed with my thoughtfulness.

            "You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" she says, and I acknowledge it as the truth.

            "Thanks to you. If you hadn't come here, I probably never would have thought of any of this." It's true, really. I never would have given a second thought to the concept of other worlds until Kairi came here. And it wasn't just her mysterious arrival as if from nowhere, it was that she always seemed to provoke more thought on the issue with her actions. I owed her my having thought of all this.

            "Kairi, thanks." I tell her, and she smiles some at all that I said.

            "You're welcome." Kairi says in turn, and once more I realize why this is my favorite part of the day.

            After a little more time passes Kairi begins to head home. Sora follows suit soon after, and I then go over to the hollow log that I had stashed the paopu fruit in and removed the delicacy. After that I call out to Sora.

            "Sora!"

            He turns in time to catch the paopu fruit I had thrown to him.

            "You wanted one, didn't you?" I ask him.

            "A paopu fruit…" Sora says, slightly, or very, confused.

            "If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what. C'mon, I know you want to try it." I say, somewhat teasingly. Earlier in the day I had decided not to ask Kairi if she wanted to share a paopu fruit. It wasn't out of fear for my friendship with Sora, he would understand, but out of fear of rejection from Kairi. I didn't mind the rejection too much. It was more the aftermath. I valued my friendship with Kairi quite a bit, and odds are we would become distant after such an event, so I was unwilling to give one to Kairi until it was a sure thing. Sora then begins to regain a clear train of though, having been thrown off by my actions.

            "What are you talking-" His words are cut off by my laughter, and I begin to jog across the bridge. Sora tosses the paopu fruit off the bridge, and I mentally note its location. Sora then joins me across the bridge. We run to the docks and say our farewells as we head home.

            The next day I wake up early, as usual, and check on the raft quickly. The logs Sora had gathered had not yet been tied to the rest of the logs, and the sail had not been set up, so I quickly lashed the logs to the raft and hoisted the sail. I looked at the raft, and took a sense a pride in it. I had built it with my own two hands, and soon I would provide it with the ultimate test. If all went well, my dream of reaching another world would be fulfilled, but thinking about what Kairi had said earlier, I begin to wonder what I would do if I found another world. More importantly, I wonder if I would not be satisfied. Would I attempt to find more worlds until there were simply no other worlds to find? I suppose I'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, I begin my training, and an hour later head over to my spot on the small island. I had woken up around the same time as yesterday, so once again I could relax after a furious training session by watching the sunrise. Amazing, how the exact same event stays so glorious in my mind no matter how many times I see it.

            After the sun had set, I decide to start gathering food. For such a long trip, we'll undoubtedly need food and water, and I should start collecting our rations now as opposed to later.

            After filling several bottles with water from the small pond near the secret place, I once more am drawn into the cave, towards the door. When I reach the door, I cannot help but feel as though something is different somehow. As though the door is not the same as it once was. I begin to push and pull at it, but just like with every other day the door does not open, it doesn't even move a fraction of an inch. Yet I cannot lose the feeling as though something is different with the door. As though soon, very soon, it will open, revealing all of its secrets unto me. I want to wait and see if I correct, but within the hour grow impatient and leave. There are many other things that I can do that are not such a blatant waste of my time.

            In between my leaving the cave and Sora's waking up, I though of names for the raft. Considering what a special raft it would be, it needed to be given a name, and not just any name. The raft needed a fitting name that spoke of its glory. I eventually decided on the name "Highwind", and when Sora came my way, I told him of it, and then asked what he would call it. He seemed to like the name "Excalibur", and we decided to race to see what the ship would be named.

            "You guys at it again?" Kairi asks, having observed our exchange. "All right, I'll be the judge. The usual rules apply: Take any route you want…First one to tag that tree and make it back here wins."

            Sora and I both nod, and then Sora begins to decide what's at stake.

            "If I win, I'm captain." Sora says, with several pauses as he thinks. "And if you win…" he pauses again to think, but before he can come up with something I speak.

            "I get to share the paopu with Kairi." Sora looks over to me, astonished and protesting my decision simultaneously.

            "Deal? The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi."

            "Wha-? Wait a minute?" Sora tries to maneuver his way out of the bet, but it's too late. Kairi raises her hand, prepared to start the race.

            "Okay. On my count… Ready? Go!"

            I dash across the broken bridge, running with a speed that showed how badly I wanted to win. Sora frantically tried to keep up with me, his desire to win as great as mine. It doesn't take me long to reach my tree, and it is then that I slow down somewhat out of caution. The next part is tricky. I jump from treetop to treetop with great precision, while Sora jumps with reckless abandon. At first he pulls in front of me, but then he slips and falls to the ground below. As he gets up I pass over him, flashing him a grin that tells him how imminent his defeat is. He tries to catch up with me using the lower route, but I am easily able to win.

            "The ship's name is Highwind." I declare victoriously, and I take delight in my other victory. I consider going and finding the paopu fruit that Sora threw away so carelessly, but just like before I consider the potential consequences of my actions. Instead of attempting to share a paopu with Kairi now, I decide to delay doing so for now.

            The odd thing was, all Sora had to say was that the score was now zero to two.

Okay, that's all for now. I don't like this chapter so much, and am considering revising it. That's where you, the reader, come in. If you don't say anything, I'll presume that you like it and let it be, perhaps revising it when all of the story is done. If you say something though, something CONSTRUCTIVE, then I will implement changes. Suggestions on how to improve are always helpful (so long as they're sane). Either way, please review!


	3. Chapter 3

            The day went on uneventfully, and dusk slowly neared, but I choose not to meet Sora and Kairi at our spot. It's not that I don't want to, it's just…the door, it pulls me towards it with more strength than ever, beckoning me forward to see if I can open it, and see what lies beyond it. And so, for the second time in the day, I enter the cave and examine the door. Physically it is no different from its previous state, but I cannot shake the feeling inside of me, that something has happened, or perhaps will happen, involving that door. As though it has opened, and will soon open again. I shake my head from side to side, unbelieving of what I have become. I feel drawn towards a door. I have become almost obsessive with opening it.

            As I am not quite ready to exit the cave, I lean back heavily against the door and look around the cave. I can still remember when I first felt so drawn towards the door. It was so long ago, around when Kairi first arrived to the island. Sora had brought me here, saying that there was a monster inside the cave. He said that he had heard it growling. It was nothing other than the wind passing through the cave, but while I was finding that out, I saw the door. Ever since, I visited the door, and I visited it every day, to see if it would finally open for me.

            My mind slowly wanders back to the cave when I notice one of the numerous drawings etched into the surface of the cave. It was a drawing of Sora and Kairi's head. They had drawn each other's faces a while ago now, and it had remained through the years, but there was something different about it now. Now Sora appeared to be giving Kairi a star. But why would he give her a star?

            I quickly found my way to the drawing and bent down in front of it. On closer inspection, no more details of the drawing appeared, but it occurred to me just what Sora was giving Kairi. He was giving her a paopu fruit. Seeing this didn't surprise me in the least, but it still somehow invoked a sense of anger within me. I had thought that maybe Sora was better than I had deemed him. I had thought that perhaps I was wrong, and that perhaps Sora would actually think about his friendship with me before giving Kairi a paopu fruit, but this drawing was all the proof. If he had the chance, he wouldn't hesitate to use it.

            As though responding to my anger, I heard the boom of thunder in the distance, followed soon after by more thunder. A storm must have been starting, and a rather big one at that.

            Wait, if there was a storm…

            The raft!

            I rush out of the secret place with all my speed and look out into an apocalyptic scene. Darkness has completely eclipsed any and all light, and lightning strikes the island mercilessly. I watch as one of the bolts strikes a tree, obliterating it from existence. Prominent amongst this scene, however, is the massive orb of energy hanging over the island. It seems to be located right above the miniature island, and I rush to see what is causing all of this destruction, but before I can move two steps forward I am stopped by shadows. They rise from the ground, taking form as actual creatures. They appear to be able to stand on two legs, but they're hunched over to the point of seeming four-legged. Two bizarre antennae protrude from their heads, and they have glowing yellow eyes that are infinite pools of emptiness. They seem to be staring at me and yet looking into the distance at the same time, those eyes.

            I take out my sword, prepared to make these atrocities go away. I swing the wooden blade in a powerful arc that knocks five of them backwards, but they get up, seemingly unharmed. I always thought this thing was more like a toy than an actual sword, and it appeared that these shadows did too. They at least took damage from it as though it was a toy.

            Two of them leap at me, and I use my sword like a bat to knock one of them away and narrowly dodge the other. Several more leap at me, and I cannot dodge them all. One shadow manages to strike me, using claws that tear through me easily. Fortunately the hit is light, but I can nonetheless feel the blood slowly seeping from the wound.

            Realizing that I cannot fight them off, I run off, evading them the best I can. They are relentless in their pursuit though, it is as though they seek me out specifically, it is like they are drawn to me, just as I am drawn to the door.

            I jump up onto the wooden bridge and dash across its length, and when I reach the small island, I look around to see what is causing the destruction. I see what appears to be a faint silhouette amongst the darkness, but it could just as easily by a tree as it could a person.

            I turn quickly as I hear the approaching shadows. There are far too many of them for me to be able to get through them. I lower my sword, acknowledging defeat, and just as the first one of them prepares to strike something odd happens. They all turn their heads at once and slink off, heading towards the docks. I look through the darkness at the docks, and see what appears to be Sora. He must have had the same idea that I had, to come and make sure that the raft was safe. He too attempts to ward off the shadows, with the same level of success that I had had.

            He begins to run away from them, and noticing the orb of darkness like I did, begins to head towards the small island and me. I prepare to fight the shadows that he will bring with him when a shadow appears below me, much like the living shadows before they had materialized. I consider moving away, but this one seems different from the others somehow, as though it is not one of the creatures, but a portal. A portal to what though?

            There is only one answer. It must be a portal to another world. If I can find a way to travel through it, my dream will be fulfilled. And there is not point in staying here, as I fear that the island will soon be destroyed completely by the darkness. My first thoughts are of Kairi, worrying about her, but for some inexplicable reason I feel as though I cannot help her…yet. Perhaps she has already traveled through one of the portals that I stand on, and has gone to another world. Perhaps.

            This knowledge makes my decision easier. I should travel through the portal, and go to another world, and then I can seek out Kairi. If I can get Sora to join me the journey will probably be easier. But…what if the portal doesn't lead to another world, but an infinite abyss of darkness?

            Black tendrils begin to extend from the portal, slowly encompassing my body. Most would be so fearful of them, and afraid of what lies beyond, but I have always wanted to know what lies beyond, and the darkness cannot claim to impose fear on me. Darkness is easily conquered and manipulated.

            Sora continues his battle to the miniature island, fighting only when he needs to. He appears to destroy one of them, but it instantly rematerializes, and seems to be stronger than ever. Sora has not yet realized just how futile fighting these shadows is. How can you fight shadows? They have no true form or substance. Only a weapon of great power would be able to destroy them, one that can attack them as though they truly existed. A wooden toy most certainly does not meet such standards.

            As Sora nears the island he notices me, and looks around as if to find someone else. His search doesn't turn up anything.

            "Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!" he yells out to me, and everything begins to click in my mind. For this darkness to pass, that door must have opened, and if it is open, then perhaps this portal will indeed take me to another world.

            "The door has opened." I inform Sora, and he's quite perplexed.

            "What?" he says, not understanding my words.

            "The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!" I boldly declare, trying to convince Sora to join me.

            "What are you talking about?" is all that Sora has to say. "We've gotta find Kairi!" Sora, so ignorant and naïve. Open your eyes to what is happening around you, see the opportunity that lies in front of you!

            "Kairi's coming with us!" I yell, unsure of whether or not I speak the truth, but I have to convince Sora to come with me. "Once we step through, we might never be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance! We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" I know as much, so the question is, Sora, are you afraid of the darkness? Are you willing to leave the protection of light in favor of uncertainty?

            The shadows continue to consume my body, taking me into their dark confines. I slowly extend a hand to Sora, as an offer for him to come with me. He goes to take my hand, but is ensnared by the same shadows that are covering my body. He struggles to be free, to take my hand, but the more he struggles, the more the darkness is able to take over him.

            "Riku!" he yells desperately, and makes one last attempt to grasp my hand. By then the darkness has all but consumed me, and when only a tiny area of my vision remains, I see a ray of light racing towards me, to save me from the darkness. For a fraction of a second I consider reaching towards it, to be saved from this darkness, but by then I cannot be saved.

            I have been taken by the darkness.

**Author's Note**- Yessss! Now that Riku has sunk into the darkness, I actually get to create my own plot, as opposed to just adding in thoughts to the one Squaresoft had made. Oh, but all is not well. First off, since I do now actually have to come up with a plot, it will take longer for me to write my next entries! Add that to the fact that I'll be visiting my dad, and at his place it's nigh impossible for me to access a computer long enough to type up another entry, and it might be three or four days before my next update. But don't hold your breath for even that. Anywho, I'd like to know, about how long would Sora take to complete one world and seal its Keyhole? I ask because I want a good idea of how long Riku adventures before his little run-in with Sora. After all, if ten days pass for Sora, then Riku can't be off for fifteen. That's all for this super-long author's note. Please review! Sayonara!


	4. Chapter 4

            The darkness…it is infinite. There seems to be no end to it, and I cannot even feel my movement. Am I… trapped forever in this endless abyss? And… where's Sora? I am all alone as I face the darkness, but I am not sure if I truly am able to conquer it… now that I have seen it. I said that I had no fear of the darkness, was that a lie? It must all be, because I tricked Sora into coming down this path as well, and somewhere, he too must desperately be looking for me, and he too must be alone. I was wrong. This portal did not lead to another world, only infinite darkness. As I contemplate my failure I can feel my consciousness slipping away, and I realize that this is the end. Only one thought exists in my mind now.

            Kairi, I'm sorry.

            My eyes slowly open and are blasted with light. It's so bright that it makes my vision a field of white. I squint and wait as my eyes adjust, and I look around to find myself in some sort of lobby. In front of me is a fountain decorated with a dragonhead, and beyond that is a short hallway leading to a door. The door has a bizarre emblem in it; it looks like a heart with, maybe a…dovetail? I don't really know, but the emblem is also divided into four slots. Seems like a rather interesting choice of décor.

            "So…you made it through the darkness." I spin around as I hear the voice. It's a fairly low and menacing voice, and it is quite charismatic. I find that the source of the voice is a cloaked man. I peer into the hood to see if I can see his face and have an idea of who this man might be, but all that is there is darkness. Darkness… this man seems to not only emanate darkness, but he also seems to actually _be_ darkness. Is that even possible?

            "Who are you?" I ask, showing no fear of this man, perhaps because I have no fear of him. He might appear to be powerful, but he hasn't shown any power yet, so why would I fear him?

            "My name is of no importance to you. The only thing that should be important is what I can do for you…" the cloaked man replies. I can't help but narrow my eyes at him. There is something about him that makes me want to not trust him. However, there is an even bigger part of me intrigued by what this man is saying.

            "And what exactly is that?" I say, inviting me to share what knowledge he has with me.

            "I know that you seek out your friends. It will be hard without me, for they are not on this world. With my help, though, I can take you to them."

            "And what's in it for you?" I reply, colder than ever. I would like to meet up with Sora and Kairi again, but not until I am certain that this man is the key to doing so.

            "I want nothing out of this bargain. You can trust me." My eyes narrow even further at that, showing this man just how much I trust him.

            "Why are you doing this?" I ask. It is merely a rephrasing of my earlier question, but I have to know what this man's true intentions are.

            "I merely will enjoy a slight windfall should you join me. An…aftermath of your quest to find your friends, if you will. Besides, you already have reason to trust me. It was through my help that you were able to get off of that wretched island."

            "What?" I exclaim, and my surprise becomes evident. How could he have helped me off of Destiny Island?

            "I know the urge for freedom that you have. To you, that island must have been a prison, surrounded by inescapable ocean. So I opened the way for you, allowed you to travel through the darkness."

            "And how exactly did you do that?" I ask, more suspicious than ever of this man. He said that he allowed me to travel through the darkness, and I'll believe him on that count, but how exactly did he do it?

            "Were you… the one who opened the door?" I say, not giving him time to answer the first question, albeit I don't think he would have anyways.

            "Perhaps. But that is all trivial now. You want to find your friends, and I have a way of allowing you to do so. But first, you need a weapon, something that will put you and the Heartless on equal ground."

            "The Heartless?" is the first thing that I can say. What are the Heartless?

            "The Heartless are beings who have lost their hearts, hence the name. They come in a number or varieties. You saw one type of them already. The shadows that attacked your island, they were Heartless." Doesn't this man know how impossible it is to fight those shadows? Wouldn't the rest of the Heartless be like that? If so, this weapon he says I need, what can it do to make fighting those shadows possible?

            "So those shadows were Heartless. They can't be beaten. Whenever it seems as though they're dead they just come back, stronger than ever." I know all of this to be absolutely correct, and he does too, and that's beyond a shadow of a doubt. But perhaps I can get him to reveal the secrets of this weapon.

            "With this weapon you can fight them as though they were of flesh and blood like yourself." A green aura appears in front of me, and the aura concentrates into the shape of a sword. For a split second the aura turns black and then vanishes, leaving behind a sword that drops to the ground, clanging with the impact. I bend down and pick it up, and I closely examine it. The blade itself looks like the wing of a bat, and I can feel the darkness that it carries.

            "This blade, something's wrong with it." That was all that I could say. How could a blade be emanating darkness? It's an inanimate object. The idea of it being of darkness is absurd.

            "It is not the blade that is causing that darkness you feel. The blade merely channels your own darkness. The stronger your darkness, the stronger the blade becomes. By unleashing this darkness, it becomes possible to destroy even the Heartless." So, is this how strong my darkness is? Is it so strong that I can feel it? I almost feel a bit of fear overcoming me. Almost. My darkness, it is greater than I ever would have expected, and I don't want it. I have no desire for this kind of darkness. But, if this is what it takes to find Kairi, then I will do it. I will allow myself to be consumed by this darkness if need be, just as long as I can see Kairi again.

            I experiment with the blade, creating a few practice swings. The sword is easy to handle, and its weight is proportioned much like my wooden blade's weight is. So easy to handle…almost as if fate chose me to wield it. It doesn't even matter now though, as now that I have stepped forward, deep into the darkness, there is no turning back. Even if I could barely even lift this sword, I would master it. All to save Kairi, all to save myself from the darkness.

            "Now that you have taken the blade, for now my part is done."

            "What?" I yell at him. He said that he would help me, but all he's doing is giving me a sword! How am I supposed to go to other worlds with this?

            "Don't worry. All shall work out. You will see." The cloaked man then fades away, replaced by ten orbs of darkness that spread out and encircle me. I look from side to side and try to figure out what these things are.

            My question is soon answered. They form into large shadows in the shape of a ball. They are able to float in the air, and they have the antennae and yellow eyes like the other shadows did. But these eyes, they don't seem empty. They seem full of glee and anticipation, as though they are eager to kill, eager to destroy.

            One of them charges straight at me, biting at the air, and, if I don't act quickly enough, biting at me. I swerve out of the way and attack at the Heartless with my sword. Unfortunately I am too slow with my attack and miss entirely. I am then knocked down to the floor by another one of the Heartless, and the others begin to close in one me. I look around, trying to find a means of escape from these heartless, and find it in the stairs leading to the short hallway. I run up them with all my speed, narrowly avoiding the Heartless. I then turn around and leap off of the dragonhead part of the fountain. I come crashing down on an unsuspecting Heartless that never even saw me coming, and my sword splits it in two. The two halves are then dispelled and vanish into the air. One down, nine to go.

            The other heartless box me in, trapping me against the fountain. I try to step back and find some breathing room, but there is none. A Heartless attacks me, and only through my best reflexes can I stop it. I watch as it too fades away, and breathe a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, now is not the time to be patting myself on the back, as the remaining Heartless seem intent on overwhelming me by attacking all at once.

            I try my best to fend them off, but I can only do so much. The blows begin to add up, and I slowly near my demise. If this keeps up, I'll die. So, after all I've done, after coming so close to death only to make it through, will I let myself be destroyed? No, I cannot. This blade, the cloaked man said it became stronger as the darkness within me grew greater. So what if I unleashed all of my darkness? What would happen?

            My thoughts turn to Kairi. If I cannot bring out the full force of my darkness, then I am doomed, and I will be unable to help her, wherever she may be. The thought spurs me on, and I feel my anger and my hatred of these shadows growing. They stand in the way of my finding Kairi, and I'll destroy them all as punishment. I feel power coursing into the sword, and I feel power coursing into me as well. Suddenly no matter how hard they hit, these Heartless cannot harm me. They cannot destroy me. I stand up, unflinching from their attacks, and I slash wildly with my blade. With each and every slash another Heartless is destroyed, and soon enough they have perished, every last one of them.

            So, is this my true power? Can it be that, by controlling the darkness within me, I can become invincible? It doesn't matter in the least. If I have to do the impossible to find Kairi, then I will do the impossible. As long as I keep sight of that, I think I can control the darkness within me.

            I then hear someone walking down the steps. I turn my head and see a tall woman with a long staff. Her skin is green, and she looks like a witch from one of the fairy tales I read as a child.

            "Quite a display of power. But, it is unwise to steep yourself in darkness like that. The Heartless prey on those who think that they are greater than the darkness, that they can control it."

            "But I can control the darkness." I say, irritated by this woman and her judgments. "Who are you, anyways?" I ask, hoping to actually get an answer, unlike with the cloaked man.

            "My name is Maleficent. Of course, I should be asking who you are, seeing as how this is my castle."

            "Riku. Riku is my name. So this is your castle?" I ask, hoping to find out where exactly I am.

            "Yes. This is the castle of Hollow Bastion. There are a great many Heartless here, and you should be cautious of them. You have no control over them, so they might hunt you specifically. Of course, if you were to follow me, then you just might survive." I really don't like the tone of voice she uses, treating me as though I were some sort of child who needed protection. However, could this be what that cloaked man wanted? Am I supposed to follow this… Maleficent. She seems to have great knowledge of the Heartless, and even seems to be able to control the Heartless, perhaps she can help me find my friends.

            "Fine. I'll follow you, but first I want to know something." I say, using great caution.

            "And what is that?" Maleficent asks, once more using that tone. It annoys me endlessly. But I will just have to put up with it.

            "I was separated from some friends of mine, I think they're on another world. Can you take me to them?" I hope that she can, but I wonder if I showed my hand too quickly. Now that she knows what I want, she can bargain with me."

            "Of course I could take you to your friends. But…I have something of my own that needs doing." I knew it; she was going to barter with me. "It's a small task," she continued, "but I'm simply too busy to do it. However, if you could do it for me, then I am sure that taking you to your little friends would be easy enough. Do we have a deal?"

            I don't like the idea of serving this woman. I am almost certain that somehow I'll be short-handed. But I said that I would find Kairi, even if it meant doing the impossible, and this was far from impossible.

            "What must I do?"

**Author's Note**- Okay, my first chapter where I came up with the plot and dialogue. Did I do a good job? Was it as good as my last three chapters? Does it need some revision? Whatever the answer, I hope you review!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Sigh. Lest we forget, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I own massive piles of money (the two probably go together). Squaresoft and Disney do.

"It's a wise decision that you have made." Maleficent said in a sadistic manner, reminding me of how unwise my decision was. My anger rises slightly, but before it rises to the point of causing me to do something rash I put in check. There's no point in attempting to make a deal with this…witch if I then attempt to kill her.

"Of course," she continues, "I cannot strike a deal with you until I am absolutely sure that you are indeed capable of carrying out my little errands. I'll just hold a test of your power. Yes, that would do just fine." With a flick of her hand a number of portals appear. Shadows begin to crawl out of them in droves, and they take form. They turn out to be the same shadows I saw on my island. I wait patiently as they slowly make their way towards me. As one of them gets within striking distance I lash out with my sword, sending it into oblivion.

"Be careful of that sword." Maleficent advises upon seeing my action. "If you allow it to channel all of your darkness for you like that, you will depend upon it too heavily. And if were to be taken away…"

The sword in my hand disappears before reappearing, right in the center of all the Heartless. I hold back my fear, knowing that that sword was my only way of attacking the Heartless. I had only had it for a couple of minutes and already I relied on it. I can't believe that I was that weak. On Destiny Island I was so strong compared to everyone else. Was it all just relativity?

The shadows leap up and onto me, and despite my best efforts I am unable to keep them away. I trip and fall, overwhelmed by them. They slowly begin to bury me in their darkness and I can feel them searching…searching for my heart. They burrow into the depths of my soul, hungrily seeking out what they want, what they _need_. Their very existence seems to hinge upon taking away my heart and sending me into infinite darkness.

_I'm not afraid of the darkness!_ I remember those words, and despite being pushed to my limit twice by the darkness already since saying those words, I still have no fear of the darkness. It cannot beat me, and it will not beat me. But, how can I beat it? An idea quickly comes to me, and it is so obvious that I am surprised I hadn't thought of it before.

That sword the cloaked man gave me, it's not my only weapon. I take out my wooden sword and manage to swing it, throwing the Heartless off of me. They are unharmed, but at least they are no longer endangering my life.

I make a quick dash for my sword and grab it as I run past. I quickly turn and proceed to destroy the shadows without mercy. Within moments, they are all gone. That's where the real fun begins. Four more Heartless appear, but these are different from both of the two kinds that I have faced so far. These ones manage to fly with rather small wings. Their bodies are much like those of serpents, and they are colored red. They move with an astonishing grace and agility, and when I attempt to hit one of them, it simply glides out of the way. I swing at another only to miss again. Another several slashes, all go into the air.

Fed up with my difficulties in hitting these winged Heartless I throw my sword like a spear straight at one of the Heartless. This one hadn't been looking at me, and as such failed to see the quickly moving sword before the blade sunk into the Heartless' back. The Heartless twitched some and desperately tried to stay airborne before it finally collapsed to the ground. I run over and pull my sword out before impaling the Heartless again and again until it fades into nothingness. I then hear a slight whisper of movement, and turn around to see one other Heartless moving to attack me. I jerk my sword up and into the underbelly of this Heartless, watching in glee as it sinks to the ground. I pull the blade through the body quickly and stop only when it is destroyed. Two down, two to go.

Before I can move to attack the remaining Heartless, they disappear into the portals from which they had come. I am confused by this and look to Maleficent and see that she had commanded them to stop.

"That's more than enough." the sorceress says, and I am able to breathe a sigh of relief. Ever since coming out of the darkness I had felt exhausted, and my almost non-stop fights since had depleted my stamina. I was fairly surprised that I had even lasted this long. How peculiar. Not only was I almost defeated, I am shocked that I was not defeated. It's so very untypical of me. Usually I'm so much more confident, even to the point of arrogance. Perhaps I'll have to work on returning to my former self. Meeting up with Sora and Kairi might make such a task much easier.

"Now then," I begin, "what is that you want me to do?" I am rather eager to get all of this over and done with, but I have to make an effort to hide that fact. I can't show my hand to Maleficent. I can sense how untrustworthy she is.

"Fine, fine. I shall tell you. But first, let us go somewhere other than this lobby. It is not the place to make deals." As I stare at Maleficent's retreating form she beckons me to follow her. I quickly meet up with her and we begin to go through Hollow Bastion.

As I walked through Hollow Bastion with Maleficent, I listened to her talk about how her task was incredibly small, so small, in fact that I would get more out of the deal than she would. She wasn't fooling me. I knew full well that for one reason or another I would later regret making a deal with this witch.

"So, you no doubt can see that this is a favorable bargain for you." she stated matter-of-factly.

"How could I even know?" I countered, the anger and frustration in my voice apparent. "You haven't even told me what you want me to do." All this time Maleficent had been bragging about how good her deal was, but she hadn't even given me an idea as to what this "small" task was.

"It's quite simple, really. All you-"

"Just tell me what I have to do!" I yell at her, angered by her to an unimaginable extent. I wanted to just know what I had to do and get it done and over with. Every second that I wasted listening to her about how easy her task for me was another second in which Sora or Kairi could have been killed.

"Fine then. Have it your way. You have two friends with which you want to reunite, do you not?" My eyes become mere slits, if even that and I ask myself how she knew that I had two missing friends. I hadn't revealed the number of friends I was searching for. Maybe a lucky guess. Either way, I might as well press forward. I nod my head in confirmation, and Maleficent continues. "Now, it so happens that there are a number of people that I just so happen to be after as well. Like with you, there are two people. They are…people of great importance to me. You bring me back one of these people, and I reunite you with one friend. From there you can join up with your friend and leave me, or you can continue onwards with the deal. Bring me the other person, and I reunite you with your second friend. From there you carry out one last favor for me and I carry out one last favor for you. Of course, your job will be easy. I so happen to know exactly where both of these people you need to bring to me are."

Who does she think she's fooling? She can't pull the wool over my eyes, I know full well that when all is said and done, she'll come out of this deal with more than I will. She keeps that last favor she wants me to do secret, and that's undoubtedly for a reason. But…Kairi…

"Fine. We have a deal." I agree with her, despite all of the reasons against doing so. It's not like I have much choice anyway. I can't do anything for as long as I'm stuck on this world, and that cloaked man doesn't show any signs of helping me on that count. Speaking of which, I wonder what that windfall he was talking about is. In just one day I get the distinct feeling that I have entered into two deals from which I'll get more than I bargained for.

"Now then. You can do whatever you want in the time being while I arrange for a vessel to take you to your first stop. It will be all too easy to get this first girl I want. Most of the work has already been done for you."

"And how long do I have before I leave?" I inquire, wondering what exactly I should do while she's gone.

"Oh, perhaps an hour. Just meet me here in the lobby then, and you'll be on your way to finding your friends. However, I am afraid that you might not find what you want to."

"What?" I begin to ask, but by then she has slipped away in some sort of portal. What did she mean? I might as well forget about it, all that matters is finding my friends.

"Quite the bargainer, isn't she?" I stop myself from jumping upon hearing the voice. I don't even have to turn to realize that it is the cloaked man.

"Yes, she really is." I answer, but I wonder what he wants to say now?

"I'll be brief, seeing as how there is so much to do, and so little time to do it. As you seek to find your friends, I'd advise you to be wary of your one friend. Sora, I believe you call him?" Sora? Why would I have to be cautious of him? Before I can ask him that he disappears like Maleficent did. These people seem to have tendencies to leave numerous unanswered questions, and part of me can't help but think about why they leave those questions unanswered? What is so important about the answers that they cannot just tell me them? I suppose I'll think about that later, when I have more time and nothing else to do with it. In the meantime, Maleficent had said that this place was infested with Heartless, so I decided to go take out some of my frustration on them.

Almost an hour later I am back at the lobby, waiting for Maleficent. I tap my foot impatiently against the stone floor, none too happy with my current situation. Part of me keeps saying that I shouldn't go along with Maleficent, that there is still time to back out of the deal I have put myself in. This part tells me that I will do things that are wrong, that will lead me down the path to darkness. Frankly though, if that is what it takes to reunite with Kairi, then I will go down the path to darkness. I will immerse myself in it and become trapped within it. It doesn't matter, for without Kairi, or even Sora, what reason do I have to live and stay away from the darkness? They are my friends, and without them my life is pointless. If I were trapped on this world, unable to see them, then I would go down the path to darkness anyway. Kairi transcends being my friend, she is my _light._ Without that light, then there would be nothing protecting me from darkness, and as time passes I become more and more vulnerable to the darkness.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." I lose my train of thought when I hear Maleficent's voice, and I merely look up and acknowledge her, not bothering to respond. "I had some business to attend to. Several important guests had arrived, and we had matters to discuss. By the way, one of your friends came up in the discussion. I took the opportunity to find where he is." He? She must have found Sora. "After you uphold your part in the first part of our bargain, I can take you to him." Somehow I get the feeling that there is something that she is hiding from me. For instance, it was too much of a coincidence that Sora would just randomly be part of the conversation. The entire discussion must have revolved around him, but why? What was so important about Sora? I dismiss the thought, shoving it to the side for later examination.

I follow Maleficent, and she leads me to a portal. Without a care she steps into it and motions for me to do the same. I follow her into it and am swallowed by its darkness. I am greeted by the darkness and am reminded of my earlier trip through it. But this time the journey is easier. It is like I am being guided through the darkness this time, as opposed to earlier when I seemed to wander aimlessly through it. Well, it wasn't like I really was wandering aimlessly through the darkness earlier. When I was still on Destiny Island, I had asked why I was there, and not somewhere else. There had to be a reason, just as there was a reason to my having wound up in Hollow Bastion. So I wasn't really wandering aimlessly, I merely hadn't known what fate held in store for me.

Just as I don't know what fate has in store for me now.

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Author's Note- Heh. Three or four days later, I updated! Like with chapter two, I'm not quite as certain about this, but unlike chapter two I haven't been told whether or not my dislike is justified. So please go ahead and hit the review button and tell me. It's simple, the link is right under the author's note.

Oh, and as a slight outcry of life sucks, I'm technically supposed to be an ignorant tourist up in New York right now, so any problems with this chapter might be the result of me being mega-pissed.

And on a last note, I realize that nothing is indented. I'll work on that when I get back to my mom's and have access to a computer that won't do all of that auto-stuff for me and completely screw up the document.


	6. Chapter 6

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Author's Note- Arrgh. Yet another chapter sans indents. I really wish Microsoft had never gotten the idea for this newfangled auto-indentation stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. (No moronic attempt at putting humor into my disclaimer this time.)

I emerge from the darkness along with Maleficent, and I feel quite grateful to be away from it, no longer immersed in its depth. This trip was by far easier than my first, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it was enjoyable. The voyages through the darkness, they are the worst things I can imagine. I never see the light in the distance, and until I finally exit the darkness, I feel as though I will never get out of it. I only see darkness, darkness as far I can see, eclipsing any light, eclipsing any hope of escape. Time seems to slow down. Seconds pass by as minutes, minutes as eternities. But by no means have I, in either of my trips through the darkness, feared the darkness. I have no need for fear. Fear only weakens me, hinders me. Without fear I dare to do that which I would never dream of doing. With fear, I would have perished on the Destiny Islands as they were consumed by shadows.

As my eyes adjust to the incoming blast of light, I am disappointed by what I see. In one small area, there is plenty of light, and this light reveals a golden cage, on top of which a cloth is draped to hide what is inside the cage. I stand on top of a hedge that seems to be more of a wall that mere scenery. But beyond that, all that exists is darkness. It seems so unnatural, this darkness, like it doesn't belong. I continue to scan the area with my eyes, attempting to discern something amidst the darkness, but I find nothing.

"Silly boy, there is nothing amidst this darkness. Do not waste your time trying to find anything." Maleficent says, having observed my efforts. I feel, or perhaps I know, that she is lying, that there is something in the darkness. Maybe she created the darkness, to hide something from my eyes, or maybe to hide me from something's eyes, or even both. And that begs the question, what is there to hide? Of course, this is all trivial and unnecessary. What matters now is doing what Maleficent brought me here to do.

"Why did you bring me here?" I ask, for I must know what is so important about this place. Maleficent merely points to the cage, and I decide to find out what is hidden within it. I slowly lift up the cloth hung over it, and find that it contains a person. Specifically, a girl in a blue dress with a white apron. I suppose that she must be one of the people Maleficent is seeking. I attempt to open the door to the cage and retrieve her, but find that the cage is locked. Of course it's locked. Fortunately, locks are no problem with me.

As a child I had learned how to pick locks. It wasn't of criminal intent really, Sora kept locking himself out of his house. So I had found out how to expertly pick the lock to Sora's house so that he wouldn't have to stay in my house and subsequently leave my room looking as though a twister had hit it. Unfortunately, I now find out that house locks are very different from any other lock. So therefore I abandon finesse, draw my sword, and use it to completely destroy the lock in one quick motion. I then open the door and extend my hand to this girl, hoping that this retrieval will be easy.

"Are you…here to rescue me?" the girl asks. Am I? Maleficent would say that I am, but I don't trust her in the least. Here intentions are in no way good, so what does she intend to do with this girl? The possibilities run rampant in my mind, and I regret asking myself the question. Regardless, getting this girl to come with me will be easier if she does so voluntarily, so I lie and nod my head in a simple "Yes". At first she seems relieved, but just as her hand brushes against mine I slip up and a triumphant smile comes to my face. She pulls her hand back and backs away from me, stopped by the close confines of the cage. I reach out and grab her arm, pulling her from the cage. She begins to yell for help but I use my spare hand to cover her mouth.

This girl, she struggles against me, pulling me as hard as she can. However, I am quite strong and well trained, while she obviously has never worked out in her life. Everything about her seems so fragile, and for a second I almost feel guilty about what I am doing. And yet, there is no price too high for seeing my friends again. Why should I feel guilty about what I am doing to this girl? I was unaware of her existence just a minute ago, and I don't even know her name. Why should she have any value to me? My friends, the people who give me reason to live, are the only people that matter. Everyone else is a mere pawn, a tool that I can utilize to achieve my goal. If that means leading one or two people, even one or two thousand people, into darkness, why should I care?

This though gives me the strength I need to continue onwards in my mission, and I proceed to pull her into the portal from which I had come, Maleficent watching me the entire time. As I do so I drop my hand from her mouth and she begins to scream again. I quickly muffle the noise again. I justify the action as not wanting to be seen, but, if my theory on the darkness of this world is correct, then how could I be seen in the first place? Just a reflex perhaps. Regardless, I lead her into the darkness, and when she is consumed by it, I watch with interest how she reacts. First she panics, and I am able to take some entertainment out of that. She struggles so futilely, not realizing that the key to mastering the darkness is to not struggle against it, to succumb to it. It reminds me of seeing Sora fight against the darkness of Destiny Islands, and for a split second I feel guilty once more.

The guilt quickly fades, but then the worst of things happens. The girl stops struggling, and her panic ends. She stays perfectly still, having acknowledged defeat. Her eyes become empty and flashing in front of me is the image of the shadows on Destiny Islands. Those eyes were terrible then, and they are terrible now. Nothing haunts me more than seeing that emptiness; that lack of emotion. Emotion is the greatest indicator of a heart, and that is why those Heartless had empty eyes. They had no emotion. To see that emptiness in an actual human being, one who just minutes ago showed a full range of emotion, that does make me feel guilty.

It is during this guilt that I feel at home amongst the darkness. I no longer despise it, but enjoy its company. The darkness feels so right. What I have just done, it makes me undeserving of any light. And so the darkness is the only place that I belong, and it is the only place that I should be, amidst the shadows. There is simply no other place that I should be. I do not deserve even the light that still resides within me. I don't deserve hope, I deserve despair. I don't deserve happiness, I deserve depression. I don't deserve my heart; I deserve to be a Heartless. I don't deserve to see Kairi ever again, and know the joy I feel around her. All I deserve, all I want right now is to forever be lost amidst darkness. No, that's not right at all. I don't want this. I may deserve it, but I certainly don't want it. All I want is to see Kairi again. And, maybe when I do, I can cast aside this darkness that plagues me now, and whatever darkness plagues me in the future.

I look back into the eyes of the girl, and I no longer feel even remotely guilty. It's not my fault. It's her own fault for being so weak of heart. That emptiness troubles me no more. It is simply a part of life, what must happen, what _will_ happen. This probably would have happened even had I not come, for my arrival here and the ensuing events were fated to happen. Had I not been the one to do this, someone else would have. Perhaps Maleficent would have done the job herself.

Looking at my surroundings, I once more feel contempt for the darkness in which I am trapped. I want no part of it, only to once again see light. This darkness isn't even slightly desirable. Maybe people like Maleficent would want it, and even want more of it, and they claim to control it. I know now, that there is no controlling the darkness. There is only controlling the levels of which it controls you. If I wanted to gain more power from it, I would have to surrender myself further to it. If I wanted to lessen its control on me, I would have to lessen the power I gained from it. I can't even do that. I suppose that the people who can control the darkness are the people who can change its control on them, deciding when to endanger themselves by opening themselves to it further. But, there is one last thing about these people, a fact that dominates their lives and dooms them all to the same fate.

They are the greatest puppets of the darkness.

****

Author's Note-Well, how did you like it? Whatever the case, do review!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or ANY of the people within this entire story. They are owned either by Disney or Squaresoft (er…Square Enix now, I suppose) or some other guy.

            Soon enough I arrive back in Hollow Bastion, but in a different part of this towering castle. At the very end of the room is the same emblem I saw when I first arrived here, that heart. A golden border frames it, and a number of pipes and wires criss-cross around it. A stairway begins upwards to it, but it immediately splits into two winding stairways that lead to opposite sides of the emblem. I begin to wonder what is so important about that emblem. In fact, I think I saw that same emblem on some of the Heartless when I had been romping through the castle, destroying everything that stood in the way.

            I turn around to face Maleficent and hand her the girl who, for one reason or another, appears to have lost consciousness. That just makes the job easier for me. What I see almost shocks me. It is a long hallway, and that in itself is no problem. But on either sides of the hallway are women, confined within some sort of container, all lying unconscious. I knew Maleficent was a rather shady character, but I never would have expected this. What need did she have to do this? Would this girl be among them soon?

            My questions are answered soon enough when Maleficent grabs the girl and puts her into one of the empty containers. I count the number of containers and find there to be six, five of which are filled. That means that before she had possession of this girl, there were two empty containers. Two, the number of empty containers before I was here. Two, the number of people Maleficent was sending me in search of. Why was Maleficent doing this? I begin to ask but am silenced before I could speak so much as a word.

            "You are entitled to privacy, as am I. You don't need to know the reason behind this, just as I don't need to know why your friends are so important to you. I fear that you'll be most disappointed, I really do." This talk again? She had said the same thing earlier, when we first made our deal. Then the cloaked man told me to be wary of Sora. Why was everyone cautioning me about being eager to meet Sora? I doubt he's done much other than sit around waiting. He always was rather lazy. Considering his habits I had always been astonished that he stayed even remotely fit, let alone fit enough to fight with his sword.

            Thinking about that I take out my own wooden sword, which still I refuse to throw away for some reason, perhaps sentimental value. There are a number of places where the wood has been chipped away at, forming a number of dents in the once perfect-looking sword. Each of those dents is where my sword took a lot of abuse in clashing with Sora's own sword. I can remember all of our battles with the swords. He had never won. I had always held the edge over him, and he never managed to match my level of skill.

            I smile faintly thinking about all of those battles, thinking about my days on Destiny Islands. Now that I was in Hollow Bastion, diving into darkness and doing evil deeds for an even more evil person, not to mention the by far more evil person orchestrating everything behind the scenes, I am able to fully appreciate those days, and wish that I had been able to do so when those days were still the present.

            Still, now that I had held up my end of the bargain, I looked over to Maleficent and spoke.

            "I did your dirty work. Now you get to live up to your promise." I say, making it very clear that it was best for her to comply. I don't want to have to wait much longer in this castle. It's unsettling.

            "Of course, whatever you want. Unfortunately…" Great! I knew that she would find some sort of way to make me regret this deal. My eyes harden and convey a sense of cold anger. She merely brushes it off and continues. "Unfortunately, a slight problem has occurred. You see, a rebellion of sorts has broken out on a world. We took something from it, and ever since one man has been on a rampage, destroying all of the Heartless he can find. Now, that world also contains a much larger threat that the Heartless need to subdue before it can be realized, but with this one man's berserker rage, the Heartless simply cannot do that."

            "And what do I have to do with any of that?" I ask, knowing that she plans on using me to remedy this problem.

            "It's quite simple really. I cannot take you to meet your friends unless this man is convinced to stop his little crusade. All of my resources are tied down to stop him. So, will you help me with this problem? Or…" She paused to add a drama to her speech, "will you abandon your friends?" I hate her for this. I hated her beforehand, but I really hate her for this. This wasn't in the bargain, and as such she should be left to clean up her own mess. But I have no means of finding my friends, so whether I like it or not, she is in complete control of this arrangement. I am at her mercy, and that I despise.

            "Fine, Maleficent. But know that you're playing a dangerous game with the wrong person." I say, showing all of my anger as a threat to her.

            "I'm sure you're right." she says in turn, unfazed and undaunted. She uses that tone again, the one that makes me feel like a little child. I struggle to not lose control and unleash my anger, keeping it all bottled up inside. I cannot lose my composure, not when it counts most. I follow behind Maleficent, walking in her shadow. I truly belong there, for I have been letting her overshadow me the entire time I have known her. I have been submissive, and I haven't fought for myself like I usually do. This is the result.

            I begin to wonder why I chose to let myself be overshadowed so easily. It is unlike me. Usually I would always be on top, and it would be everyone else who felt so overshadowed. What is different about now? Am I so desperate that I allow myself to be used like this? Everything is so frustrating. I haven't known so much as a fragment of happiness ever since I left Destiny Islands. All I have is memories of happiness, and that holds no weight for me. Things have only become harder with those memories, for the more I think of happiness, the more I want to know it again. But, for as long as this deal with Maleficent goes on, I shall just be this desperate shell of what I once was. My pride, perhaps even my arrogance, has been stripped away from me in favor of compliance. My calmness and stoic attitude have been taken from me in favor of desperation. My hope has been turned to despair. And most importantly, my light has metamorphosed into darkness.

            Once more I go through the darkness, and once more I come out of it, relieved to see the light of day as usual. I look around to find Maleficent and discover that she is nowhere in sight. That means that I am alone and my methods won't be under Maleficent's scrutiny. Pleased with this I bring out my sword, and I allow my anger and hatred to take over. I can feel the blade respond to that power, feeding off of it, and when I am done I can easily sense the blade's power.

            "Beware the darkness within your heart." I look around upon hearing the cloaked man's voice but all I find is small village. I shake my head, contemplating the cloaked man. He has yet to reveal his identity to me, and whenever he visits me it is only for a brief moment in time before going away again. This time I didn't even see him. It seems like he is constantly leaving behind clues for me, but he always leaves questions, never answers.

            Regardless, I head towards the village. It looks like it normally would be busy despite its size, but the place is abandoned. My eyes dart nervously from side to side, watching for something, anything. I know that something is here, but where? I close my eyes and focus. Upon doing so I can feel my blade responding to a darkness coming not from me, but from…

            I whip around and bring the blade down, slicing through a shadow Heartless. Before I can congratulate myself though, I notice that despite it being high noon in the village, the houses are casting shadows, and at different angles at that. I look on in astonishment as all of the shadows rise and form into the living shadows, knowing that they cannot hide. I look at their sheer numbers and feel pity for myself. There had to be hundreds of Heartless. They completely encircle me, and through sheer numbers could take me down as though I were nothing.

            Yet I will not give up, not without a fight. As I lift my sword up into a defensive position I acknowledge the irony of this situation. Maleficent sent me here to help the Heartless, yet here I am, preparing to take hundreds of them down. I look around as the Heartless prepare their attack. Some of them prepare to leap upwards while others move to run at me. Knowing that I'll need to be able to fight Heartless attacking from the air and the ground, I bring out my wooden sword. It won't kill the Heartless, but it will at least beat them back. I look at all of the dents in the sword once more, and I only wish that this was another friendly battle with Sora, when all that was on the line was pride. But here I am, locked in a death fight. Either the Heartless will emerge victorious, or I will. There is no way for both sides to win.

            The first of the Heartless runs forward while a number of other Heartless leap or join it in running at me. I sweep across the ground with my blade, obliterating the first Heartless, and the quickly snap it up to impale another. Meanwhile I manipulate my wooden blade to fight back five or six other oncoming Heartless. I myself leap up into the air, lowering my blades just above the ground, ripping through a number of Heartless. I land on top of a Heartless and quickly destroy it. I then throw my black blade into the air, fighting now only with my wooden blade. When I sense the time is right I dive forward and narrowly avoid my own sword which, in its fall, destroyed quite a few Heartless. I roll backwards and flip up, grabbing my sword and performing an aerial slash to destroy another several Heartless.

            Despite my having killed at least twenty Heartless now, I have barely even dented their numbers, and despite all my power, I feel that I will not live to tell this tale.

            I hear a loud explosion in the distance and one of the Heartless is completely obliterated rather mysteriously. The other Heartless then look into the distance before sinking into the ground. I am quite puzzled by this and can only watch as they scatter about. I look to see what the Heartless were so scared of and find a man with a rifle in hand. He has long black hair tied back into a ponytail, and his clothing gives him a rather vain appearance. Upon seeing me he walks over and greets me.

            "Greetings, stranger. I must say that I am quite annoyed that I had to help you. I was in the middle of something very important. And now that I see you, I wonder why I even bothered." My anger rises somewhat, and I already feel quite a bit of contempt for this man, but he could be of use.

            "Hello. My name is Riku. And you are?" I ask, hoping that this man could be of help to me.

            "My name…is Gaston."

**Author's Note**- Okay then. For those of you who aren't a walking Disney encyclopedia (I am proudly a member of the non-encyclopedias), Gaston is that really obnoxious-to-the-point-of-villainous guy from "Beauty and the Beast". Ya know, the one that led the mob to kill the Beast? I don't know of any name for the world this takes place on (other than "Little Village" or potentially France), and as such I decide not to care. Besides, why would Riku care about the name of the world in the first place?

Anyways, this is the first of Riku's actual adventures, the stuff he does to pass the time while waiting for Square Soft/Enix to allow him another cameo appearance. By having him go on such adventures, he isn't just sitting around, and Riku wouldn't do that.

Well, please do review. Last time I checked this story was oh-so-close to reaching twenty reviews, and that's a plateau I would really like to reach.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

            It wasn't that long ago when I embarked upon this journey, and yet to me it feels like an eternity has passed. I suppose it is due to the rather unfavorable conditions I am in. I have been doing work that normally I would never even think of doing, not caring for any morals or principals I had, and so far I still have gotten nothing in return. There is nothing to show for my work, only new work that must be done. To add to all of that is the people I am forced to work with. A cloaked man who sporadically shows up out of nowhere before disappearing once more, a sorceress who uses and will use me to no extent, and now an arrogant archer who believes that saving me "wasn't worth the bullet" he used in the rescue.

            That archer is the worst of my problems right now. He continuously brags about how good a marksman he is. He brags about his brand new gun, and he brags about how he doesn't need to use it due to his skill with the bow and arrows. The desire to just shut him up is almost overwhelming, but considering how many Heartless are on this world, I grudgingly accept the fact that I might just need his help. I despise him quite a bit, but my personal feelings have to be shoved to the side, just like they are with Maleficent and the cloaked man.

            It isn't long before I interrupt Gaston, who has been talking for the full of forty minutes now, and not a word hasn't been laden with narcissism.

            "Okay, that's really enough. I have important business I need to tend to, and I don't exactly have a lot of time. I'm rather eager to finish what I've been sent here to do." Gaston looked rather upset at having been stopped in the middle of his self-indulgency, but became calm enough to listen to me without grumbling. "Supposedly there is some person who has been on a rampage, destroying a lot of stuff." I say, making sure not to mention what was being destroyed. Gaston's eyes quickly reveal that he has an idea as to what he's talking about, but then a certain light enters them, and I prepare to be faced with a pack of lies.

            "A rampage, you say?" he asks, and I nod my head in confirmation. "Well, I do know of a rather monstrous, savage beast. He would gladly take the opportunity to destroy anything in his path. I hear that those shadows have been having some trouble with him. For the most part everyone attacks them only when they themselves are threatened, but this one, he goes out of his way to hunt them down. Obviously he's quite insane, but what is to be expected from a scar upon nature such as him?" I can already tell that something is wrong, and I suspect that Gaston has personal issues with whomsoever he is talking about. Issues that would cause a lust for vengeance.

            Instead of telling Gaston this, however, I play along and act interested. I already feel like Gaston might be the person I'm supposed to stop. I already know that he's been seeking out the Heartless, that much was proven when he "rescued" me. Perhaps when Maleficent angered him, she made it look as though it was this person who was at fault. From the way Gaston describes him, this person would be difficult to take on single-handedly, so why wouldn't he take out his frustration on the more easily destroyed Heartless instead? Obviously Gaston plans to use me to help him wreak his vengeance, and while he depends on me he'll be vulnerable. Stopping him would be far easier then.

            "Now it so happens that this feral creature took something of value from me." My theories were proving correct already. I hold back the smirk that's coming, for I have to continue stringing him along. I must admit, it feels good to the one in control again. "So, perhaps we can band together and remove this beast from existence. By helping me, you help yourself." While Gaston talks I begin to wonder about this other person. Gaston has called him a beast repeatedly. It seems odd that he would use the same remark again and again. It could just be the anger getting to him, I really don't know. Not that it matters anyway. My plan is quite simple. I help Gaston somewhat, and then when his mind is focused only on this other person, I betray him and eliminate him. I can then go back to Hollow Bastion, and soon after I'd get to see Sora. Maleficent has already mentioned him, so he will undoubtedly be the first familiar face I'll see.

            It is then that I think of the little clause Maleficent made in our deal. After I meet up with Sora, I can call the whole deal off. I can just go with him and resume my search for Kairi. Considering what I've seen of Maleficent's nature, such a route would likely be faster, and I would have a lot more control of what I do and how I do it. Then the only active agreement would be with the cloaked man, and he isn't asking anything of me until I actually do find my friends, all of them. Even then he isn't asking of any actual service, but that is what disturbs me the most really. Whatever he expects to gain as a result of my finding my friends can only be of a darker nature. I can still remember vividly what he was like. I could feel the darkness within him. It was so strong.

            I then realize that Gaston is rather upset, and it occurs to me that he has been waiting for my response for a while.

            "Sorry. Uh, I suppose we have a deal." I say, and Gaston wastes no time in allowing a rather malicious smile to spread across his face. I myself smile a little, satisfied with how easy deceiving this man was. I grip the hilt of my sword tightly, deciding how best to eliminate the obstacle that is Gaston. The basic plan is going smoothly, but I have to make sure that Gaston would have no way of saving himself.

            I continue to ask myself this question as Gaston leads me into a forest. I notice the oppressive air of the woods, and I feel ready to get out of them. A dense layer of fog blankets everything, and in the distance I hear a constant howling. On occasion I also hear twigs not too far from me, but whenever I look, all that I see is the fog. This would be the perfect place for predators to hunt, as the prey would go unaware of their being hunted. Frankly, this does not bolster my morale in the least.

            Finally we clear the forest, and instead of entering into more ambient surroundings, I find myself in front of an awe-inspiring castle that casts an imposing shadow onto the ground. Gaston, however, seems glad to be at the castle. He bangs heavily against the wooden doors of the castle relentlessly, and he seems deranged.

            "Beast!" he cries out, "Come out here! Fight me! You can't get away with taking Belle from me!" Gaston continues to do this for several minutes before stopping. "Fine, you coward! Burn!" He takes the torch he used to light the way through the wood and puts it in contact with the doors. Soon the wood ignites and I watch as the fire crawls up the door before spreading out. Gaston begins to laugh maniacally, and I see the opportunity at hand. I take out my sword and aim it at Gaston's midsection.

            "Sorry." I say quickly, and Gaston turns around to ask me what I'm sorry about. His eyes quickly widen in pain as I force my sword into his soft stomach. He gasps in his pain, and leans heavily on the sword. I retract it from him and he collapses to the ground, groaning and trembling furiously. I watch as his blood drips from my sword, dropping back onto him. I see it and I quickly am horrified by the sight. Nothing went the way it was supposed to. Gaston wasn't supposed to show so much pain, I wasn't supposed to feel this much remorse. I watch as Gaston continues to tremble as he slowly dies. I watch as the blood pours freely from his stab wound. I watch as his eyes begin to empty.

            And then I watch as his death becomes of a far worse nature. A shadow rises from the ground, and I am too paralyzed by my horror to do anything about it. I watch as it crawls towards Gaston, and I watch as Gaston's heart is removed from his body, becoming one with the Heartless. I hear his final screams, and they are of terrible nature. Gaston finally stops moving, and it is only then that I am able to move again. The first thing I do is destroy the Heartless before me, and then I bow my head in sorrow.

            "A pointless death." I turn around and in front of me is the cloaked man. "You accomplished what you set out to do, but killing him was unnecessary."

            "What are you talking about?" I ask, quite angry with him for trying to make my guilt even worse. I need to know that I didn't kill him for nothing. I need to know that I did not kill a living person with a heart for nothing.

            "He was a threat to the Heartless, but only a potential one. The beast that roamed this castle was the one Maleficent spoke of. I told you to beware the darkness within your heart. It controls you quite a bit right now. It convinced you that Gaston was the one you needed to kill, and that he was trying to trick you. It was what made you kill Gaston, and it was what made you watch as his heart was taken away from him."

            "No." I back away from Gaston's still body, refusing to accept this. But, I know that it is the truth. My heart tells me that it is the truth.

            "You must learn to have control over the darkness. If you fail to do so, it will consume you, and events such as this will occur again and again and again. Each time it does, you step further and further into the darkness, with no means of turning back. Eventually, you will serve its will completely. You will fight for it, die for it, kill for it. Death is meaningless, and while it does not need to be avoided, you must learn to make sure that you kill by using darkness, not because of it." At once I am disturbed by this man. He doesn't care about the life of others. Gaston was arrogant, and he annoyed me to no end. But he still deserved to live. I had no reason to kill him. What I did was simply a cold-blooded act of murder.

            "Do not worry about this one too much. His death was imminent anyways. With your task accomplished, the door to this world has opened, and as we speak the Heartless devour the heart of this world. Soon it will be completely eclipsed, and the world will be lost in darkness forever. I would advise you to escape this world while you still can. Now that you have done what you were asked to do, you might as well meet Maleficent again and see your friends. Perhaps doing so will help ease your pain. Then again, maybe all it will do is lead you further into darkness."

            Before I can ask him what he means by that he disappears again, leaving behind a portal much like the one I used on Destiny Island. I then look up into the sky and see a massive black orb hovering ominously in the air, contrasting with the bright orange flames consuming the castle in front of me. Knowing the fate of this world, I step into the portal and let its darkness take me within its depths.

            This time I am comforted by the shadows.

**Author's Note**- Well, that's it for now. Maybe in another three or four days I'll update. As always, make sure to tell me how I did in this chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

            I emerge from an abyss of darkness into a world of darkness. All around me is black, and it's a wonder how I can even see the ground beneath me. It is gray and dull, and as I look around I fail to see even a single ray of light. Darkness is everywhere, and light is non-existent.

            "Where…where am I?" I ask, yet no one answers. This place is desolate, and I am alone in it. But, how did I wind p here? I have traveled through the darkness numerous times already, and never have I not reached my destination. What has happened now?

            "Welcome to the Netherworld. A place between existence and extinction, between life and death, between creation and oblivion, between light and darkness. It is where those such as yourself reside." The cloaked man again. How did he get here? Before I can ask that though, there are more important questions that need answers.

            "Those…such as myself?"

            "Those who have lost themselves. In your quest to find yourself through your friends, you have lost sight of what you truly are."

            "And what am I?" I snap, angered at him. He gives me nothing but more questions.

            "A harbinger of light? Or perhaps a harbinger of darkness? The fate of all rests within your heart, and yet you do not know yourself what lies within. That is why you were brought here. There is so little time, yet so very much to do. How can you accomplish anything when you don't even know what you're trying to accomplish? Your decision must be made here. Do you wish to bathe all in your light, or eclipse it in your darkness? Until you decide, forever shall you be trapped in this realm of nothingness. Of course, if you spend eternity here, by the time you return your part in fate will be over, and the world that will greet you will be one of nightmares."

            "What are you…what are you talking about?" I ask, utterly confused. Is this all a dream, some delusion resulting from my time in the darkness?

            "Choose now. What do you wish to be? The paladin, guarding light and banishing the night, or the shadow knight, casting a veil of darkness over all and extinguishing the light?"

            "I…I don't know. I don't know!" I yell at the top of my lungs, frustrated by this. I still have no clue as to what he's talking about. He said the fate of all rests within my heart, but how can that be? What is so important about me? And why do I have to choose between light and darkness? So many questions, so few answers.

            "So be it. Until you choose, you are trapped here, with no hope of escape. You are trapped between light and darkness, and only after you ally yourself to one of the two may you move away from the neutrality. But I would advise you to choose the path of darkness. Choosing the light will only bring untold pain, and then you will be driven to darkness anyways. So, surrender your heart to the darkness. It will be easier that way. You will have power you never would have imagined of."

            Choose the light, or choose the darkness. Do I trust this man, or do I go against his advice? I didn't trust him before, so there might not be a reason to trust him now. Yet I cannot make judgment merely on my trust of this man. If I were to choose light, my path would be more difficult, of that I am sure. It has always been proven that the path of darkness is by far easier than the path of light. It is easier to destroy than it is to create. If I were to choose darkness, though, the path would not be as satisfying, and I would undoubtedly lose sight of who I truly am. Gone would be all that I have fought for up until this point. And if I lose sight of myself, than I would just wind up back here. Or, would I merely awaken my true self?

            Is there even a choice though? Or am I merely fated to follow one path, regardless of which path I would prefer? Will it be that no matter what I follow light or darkness? If I choose the light, I could fall into the darkness, and if I choose the darkness, I could be brought back into the light. This choice might not be a choice at all, but nevertheless I must choose.

            It is then that I simply cannot bear this place any longer. I don't want to have to answer these questions, especially now, after what I have done. The image of Gaston's heart being forcibly removed from his body is constantly flashing through my mind, as is the image of his blood falling from my blade, along with the one thing that haunts me the most. Before the remorse, I knew glee. I reveled in the experience. I enjoyed putting the blade into his body, and with its deadly kiss dooming him. For a split second I took a sadistic pleasure in his pain, in his realization that death was upon him. I showed remorse and therefore light, but I also showed glee and therefore darkness. And no amount of remorse could make up for that darkness. So it would seem that I should embrace my darkness, for there is no salvation for me.

            None of this, however, changes the fact that I would rather reject the darkness. I don't want it and I don't need it. The temporary happiness within the darkness would fade, and all that would be left for me is an empty existence, enslaved to my greatest enemy. And if what this cloaked man says is true, then perhaps I can be my own salvation.

            Above all, though, is my need for power. It's not just that I want to be strong enough to stand on my own, without need of anyone else, but my true reason is more important. So many years ago, when I first received my wooden sword, I swore by it that I would never lose, and so long as I always won, Kairi could count on me. As long as I never lost, I would be Kairi's knight in shining armor, protecting her from harm. I still haven't lost, not in combat at least. I might not have the shining armor anymore, but I _will_ be able to protect her, no matter how I go about getting the power. I have felt the rush of power I get when I give in to my anger and my hatred and my darkness in general. It is unlike anything I had ever felt. With that kind of power, it would be easy to keep my promise. And what would I have with light? Moral superiority? I do not want the darkness, but I do want its power.

            I turn around and walk slowly over towards the cloaked man. Before I give him my answer, I take one last moment to consider my choice. One last moment to make absolutely sure that I want to give in to darkness. The cloaked man himself said that I should beware the darkness within my heart. After the moment passes, I know for sure that I choose the darkness, and that it is my path.

            I open my mouth to inform the cloaked man of my decision, but before I can, light floods the area. I cover my eyes with my forearm to shield them against the bright glare, and when my eyes adjust I find myself in Hollow Bastion. Standing in front of me, looking rather expectant too, is Maleficent.

            "Good, you're back. I had worried that you might have perished." she says, and anger rises within me, burning brightly.

            "Yeah, right. It's more likely you worried that I lived and made you actually do work for me. You sent me on a suicide mission. If I didn't do what you wanted, you never would have fulfilled your end of the deal. If I did, the world would be destroyed, and I would be annihilated." I am almost surprised by the callous tone I use when speaking to Maleficent. Could my decision have such huge impact already? I shouldn't accredit my decision with that tone however. The truth is that I have grown tired of Maleficent's outright deception.

            "And yet," Maleficent says in reply to me, "you survived somehow, and your task is complete."

            "No thanks to you." I reply coldly.

            "Perhaps. Either way, if you're ready, you can see your pathetic friend now. Why you cherish the idea of seeing him again so much eludes me. But why disillusion you now? If you want to see him so badly, who am I to deny you the right to anguish?" I glare at Maleficent and feel an overwhelming amount of despise for her. She does nothing but talk about how seeing my friends will be bad for me. It seems like she just wants to get free work from me by convincing me not to see my friends. She begins to walk away and I follow after her.

            "You keep saying that I'll regret meeting my friends. Why is that? What are you hiding?" I ask, or perhaps, I demand.

            "You want to see your friend so badly, but when you do you'll be sorely disappointed. While you've been doing my bidding to find him again, and searching for him every time you went to a new world, he quite simply has moved on. He has new friends, and he now values an inanimate object more than he does, or ever did, you. While to you finding him is all-important, to him finding you isn't of the least importance. But don't worry, maybe you'll have more luck with your other friend."

            "Maybe I'll have luck with this first friend." I reply in turn, and I cling to that belief. All that I have done so far, it needs to be with purpose. Otherwise, my decision to ally myself with the darkness will be final and irreversible, for I have committed terrible atrocities. I not only killed Gaston, but I cannot help but feel responsible for the destruction of his world as well. And aren't I? In removing the threat Maleficent spoke of, I opened the door to the world. It's all my fault that the Heartless were able to destroy the heart of that world, and as such I am responsible for the deaths of countless people.

            So I put all my hopes in Sora, that through him I can feel some happiness and maybe, just maybe, I can reject this darkness, once and for all. Maybe it will be the courage to fight against Maleficent instead of with her.

            Maybe it will be my final undoing.

**Author's Note**- Sorry if this feels even a little rushed. I'm busy, busy, busy preparing for school. I still have books to read and only ten days to read them. I have to prep my binders, folders, papers, and backpack. I have to sleep on top of all that. So much to do, so little time. Anyways, you know the drill: please review!

            Oh, and I will take the time to offer my condolences to anyone who is amongst those in the "blackout of 2003" as they call it right now, or perhaps the "great blackout"(who knows why a blackout can be considered great). But then again, by the time you're reading this that nightmarish event will be over for you, won't it?


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

            I follow Maleficent through one of the many portals within Hollow Bastion, and all the while I contemplate the recent events. The blood of one and the lives of countless are on my hands, all just to allow this moment to happen. After what was undoubtedly the longest day in my existence, performing the darkest of deeds, I finally get to see one of my friends again. The question that resides within me, then, is was this meeting worth it? How can I put merely seeing Sora again above the lives of others? It is only now, after all has been said and done, that I begin to ask myself that. Maybe I should have been asking these questions before they held relevance, before they were even able to manifest themselves. It is too late to ask myself these questions though, and I cannot be burdened by the past. Doing so will only lead me to my demise, and that is a prospect I don't particularly enjoy.

            During the trip, I begin to think about those questions again, and unable to stop the thoughts, I let myself slowly but surely answer them. Gaston, his death was imminent anyways. The world was going to disappear soon enough anyways, and with it he would disappear. And he was the one responsible for opening the door to the world, wasn't he? I never told him to burn the castle. I never told him to do anything. It was all his fault. And yet, as far as my heart is concerned, it's still my fault. It's still my fault.

            When I emerge from the portals, I gasp at the sight that greets me. It is night, with stars dotting the sky to weave one massive tapestry, and yet it is bright enough to qualify as day. Everything is subject to the overpoweringly bright lights of the buildings, and the buildings are everywhere. There is an area where the buildings yield to allow people a place to walk, but like the rest of the area it is illuminated by lamps that lack subtlety in their profiles, harshly proving the urbanization of the area. Everywhere else there are no street lights, nor does there need to be street lights. Numerous lights frame the buildings, drawing the eye to their gaudy colors. Every last inch of the area is bathed in neon glow, and if I were to look to the ground instead of to the sky, I would think it was day.

            I look to Maleficent and notice how unimpressed she is by the sight. In fact, she seems rather disdainful towards it. Apparently she prefers the more secluded, isolated emptiness of Hollow Bastion to the bustling commune of this place. Everywhere there are people, and amazingly enough they walk on by, not caring to cast a second glance to the sorceress in their midst.

            And yet, amongst all these people there is no Sora, nor is there Kairi. I peer into the crowd and into the lights, but I find neither of them.

            "I thought you were taking me to see my friends." I remark, quite angry at Maleficent for this out and out deception.

            "Oh, you'll see your little friend in due time. He's on another world right now, but he'll be here soon enough." The fact that Maleficent used the word "he" confirms that it will be Sora that I get to meet. Everything else she says causes me to throw her a questioning glance, wondering why she would bring me here when, as far as I was concerned, there was nothing here. She doesn't take long to notice this and answers my unasked question.

            "Before he arrives, I have something I want you to do. It is-"

            "That's not part of the deal." I cut in, interrupting her. She looks rather angry for being interrupted in mid-sentence, but she says nothing to indicate it being one way or the other.

            "This is part of a new deal then. You do what I ask, or the Heartless will swarm this place en masse. Every person before you, they are fools to not run from me, but they are living fools nonetheless. Do you want to be responsible for making them dead fools?"

            "How would I be responsible?" I ask angrily. "You would be the one summoning the Heartless here."

            "And yet," she begins to say in a deliberately remorseful tone, "all of these people will live to make another foolish decision if you just do as I say." I pause for a second, wondering if I really want more blood on my hands. I've somehow managed to downplay my lingering guilt over Gaston recently. I rationalized his death during the trip here. I told myself that I really actually thought that it was Gaston who needed to die, and the cloaked man was right when he said Gaston would have died anyway. But, even then, I am still responsible for his death. It was my fault that Gaston did what he did, opening the door to his world, and allowing everything to be completely obliterated. At the same time, though, I didn't exactly tell him to do what he did. I just gave him the courage to do it. And, how was I supposed to know that having that castle burn would open the door to the world? It was simple, unadulterated ignorance, and I really can't be held responsible.

            I've been telling myself that for the past hour or so.

            "Let them die." I finally say. I'm not truly ready to knowingly put blood on my hands, even despite my slow but steady metamorphosis into a "harbinger of darkness" as the cloaked man put it. Still, part of me is ready to believe that Maleficent is just bluffing, and I want to see whether or not she is.

            "So be it." she replies, and by her tone, which lacks any emotion whatsoever, I can tell that she is prepared to make her threat reality. Just as I begin to see the Heartless come forth I intervene.

            "Wait. What is it…what do you want me to do?" I ask, the resignation clear in my voice.

            "Good, good. This isn't much work. I just need for you to run a quick errand. Too easy for someone with your talents." I choose not to believe anything she says, partly because I'm still doing "not much work" from our first deal, and partly because she attempted to compliment me. Her voice was rather strained when she was doing the latter, almost mocking me.

            "So what is it then?" I ask again, and this time she actually gives me an answer.

            "I want you to test the bell in the second district of this world."

            "Second district?" I ask confusedly, wondering what she's talking about, something I find myself doing often nowadays.

            "Yes. This world is called Traverse Town. It is broken up into three districts. This is the first, perhaps what you would call the business district. And that's really all I will tell you. I don't have time to give you an entire speech on this world, I have things to do as well."

            "Where is the second district?"

            "I'm sure you can figure that out on your own. Ask one of the natives, if you must." Maleficent then hurries off through the crowd, and only the occasional murmur or whispered gasp shows that people actually notice her, but nobody runs, they just let her pass. After she has disappeared from sight I lean uncomfortably against one of the street lamps, looking around the town.

            Eventually I lay eyes on one store that looks promising. I just walk forward, up a small series of stairs and through double doors into a snug shop. Immediately upon walking in I look to my right and see a burning fireplace, and in front of me and to my left is a counter, behind which is a man I presume to be the shopkeeper. He has short and spiky blonde hair and a face that seems warm-hearted and angry at once. A toothpick is wedged between his teeth, and every few seconds he fiddles with it, almost wishing it were something else. His shirt is a uniform and sterile white, while his pants are an equally bland blue. He looks over to me and quits fiddling with his toothpick, and begins to speak without removing it.

            "What'd'ya want?" he half yells and half asks.

            "Oh…I was wondering where the Second District is." I casually say, trying to act like anyone else would and not arouse any suspicion.

            "What the…? Where's the Second District? You $@&*#^ pinhead! You don't even know where the Second District is! How have you survived all this time…oh, of course. Yer visiting Traverse Town, aren't you? Come from another world, eh? Yeah, I've seen someone from another world come in here recently. He was looking for something too. Didn't find it though. I think I can you help you out more than I could him. After you exit the shop, just head right and immediately take another right, then follow the sidewalk until you see two very large and wooden doors. Through those doors is the Second District. But…I'd think twice about leaving the First District. Most of the people have stayed here, where the Heartless can't get to 'em."

            "The Heartless?" I ask, more to myself than to him. Had Maleficent gone back on her deal? No, that couldn't be it. It sounded like the Heartless had been here for a much longer time. Cid then answered the question I had asked aloud to myself.

            "Yeah, the Heartless. They've been a plague on the worlds for what seems like forever. Heh…maybe they have been a plague forever. If only they'd just disappear…" The words flowed from Cid's mouth and his eyes adopted a certain wistfulness. "But, that's not going to happen now, is it? Anyways, the Heartless have been cleared out from this district. A friend of mine by the name of Squa…er, Leon did the job. However, even he couldn't get them all. So, he pretty much just contains them to the other two districts. But it's been tough for him to do even that. The Heartless are spawning with incredible speed. Especially in the Gizmo Shop."

            "The Gizmo Shop?" I inquire, rather curious as to what the Gizmo Shop is.

            "Ah, it's really more a place where kids go on field trips than a tourist attraction. A bunch of clocks and useless gears, that's all it its. But, some of those gears can cause the bell to ring if they're moved right. A lot of people have been trying to figure out how to stop that. I can't tell you how many times that bell has rung because some kid who can't comprehend the words 'don't touch' shifts one of the gears."

            "Well, it's been nice talking to you." I say, and it's only partially a lie. "Thanks for the information…"

            "Cid." he says, and I give him my name in return. He bids me farewell and tells him to stop by for any and all accessory needs as I walk back through the double doors. When I come back out I notice the lack of people. I look around and see that some of the neon lights on the buildings are slowly fading away, and shadows are cast onto the ground, and they seem to dance as the level of brightness of the neon lights fluctuates and the lights flicker in and out of existence. The lights then brighten for one final moment before dying completely, and only the dim glow of the street lights prevents complete darkness from occurring. I realize how late it's gotten, and normally I would take the opportunity to sleep to prepare for the next morning, but normally I didn't have something important to do.

            I follow Cid's instructions to the letter and rather quickly wind up in front of two wooden doors, besides which is a plaque reading "Second District". I take a moment to celebrate my victory before heading through.

            The Second District is of a far different nature than the First District. While the First District was filled with garish lights representing every imaginable color, the lights of the Second District had a more subtle profile. By no means were there no lights. The lights were still everywhere, but they were all white lights, providing a soft glow that I never would have thought to notice. They were merely there, while the lights in the First District were able to hold the full attention of anybody passing by them.

            The lights aren't the only difference. The buildings are numerous, with shops and hotels everywhere, but they are not as prominent as the buildings in the First District. These buildings appear to have just been shoved to the side, and they circle the entire area. The center is a place completely free of the buildings, and it has an almost park-like feel to it with its benches and its single fountain, behind which is a mural. It seems to be a rather ambient place, but I fail to be able to take in my surroundings to a fuller extent, as my eyes shift from side to side, keeping a constant watch for any Heartless. Cid said that the place was filled with them, and I'm inclined to believe him.

            I find no Heartless however, yet as I take a single tentative step several Heartless appear as if from nowhere. These ones are almost like the shadows, but they are actually standing, and in addition to armor, they have the same heart symbol I saw in Hollow Bastion and on one of the other types of Heartless. Upon seeing this I decide to associate that symbol with the Heartless, and I make a quick mental note as such before whipping out my sword. As I do I stare into their eyes, and they have a maniacal look about them. The shadows had empty eyes, the dark balls had gleeful eyes, and the armored shadows have maniacal eyes. So many different eyes, yet the same intention lies behind all of them, to rob me and everyone else of the very essence of life. For attempting to steal my heart, they'll pay.

            It takes only a couple of seconds to dispatch of them. They do not have strength in numbers, nor are they individually strong, so I begin to feel confident about things, ready to believe that it'll be smooth sailing from here. However, this makes me wonder. Maleficent must have really wanted this done, otherwise she wouldn't have made such large threats. So I wonder what's so important about ringing a bell that anyone could get to. This seems to be of dire importance to Maleficent despite its simplicity.

            I eventually just put the questions aside and continue to walk with a natural instead of a cautious step. I keep my sword out, but I let it drop to my side, lazily dragging across the ground. Not too far along another group of Heartless pops up, and these ones are destroyed easily as well. Soon enough I go up a brief flight of stairs, turn to my right, and I am faced with the entrance to a building. Above the door the words "Gizmo Shop" appear, with the "z" in gizmo rather noticeably backwards. I push against the door leading inside and take a quick survey of the Gizmo Shop's interior. It looks like something straight from a child's book. Everywhere there are gears or platforms creating arrayed in a confusing manner, and yet there almost seems to be a pattern to their placement. Infinite perplexities collaborate with infinite simplicities to form a twisted, bizarre setting that would give anyone a headache if they just stared at it for too long.

            I begin to walk forward, and as I do a group of Heartless obstruct my way. I quickly dispose of them, but another group immediately takes its place. I slash madly at them and they quickly go away, and yet another group spawns in their place. This time I have to work to defeat them, stringing attacks together fluidly while blocking their attacks. As soon as the last Heartless is destroyed, a fourth group rises to challenge me. I shake my head and once more obliterate them. Yet another group takes its place. Every time I destroy a group of Heartless, another just rises and replaces the vanquished group. Soon enough I begin to fatigue, and I wonder how many more Heartless there are. I realize what Cid meant, and I realize how much I had erred in my overconfidence. After almost an hour of intense battle, I feel ready to faint, and with the last of my strength I strike down the last Heartless in a group. Thankfully, no more Heartless appear. I then begin to collapse, my body striking against the floor as my legs refuse to carry my weight any longer, and everything turns black.

**Author's Note**- Phew. This was a fairly long effort, mainly because I didn't have much free time. But, here it is, my next chapter! It's even a bit longer than usual, but not necessarily long. Well, as always, go ahead and review. This is your chance to tell me if I did any good or not, and I'm hoping that you'll go ahead and take that chance. New reviews = Happy me!


	11. Chapter 11: the deluxe version

**Author's Note**- Thanks to Aniiston for bringing some formatting errors to my attention. As the chapter title says now, this is the "deluxe" version, with 100% less errors due to screwed up HTML code!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

            I groan as I regain consciousness, as my head is throbbing in an unbelievably painful manner. I clutch at it, hoping to somehow alleviate the pain, even if it is only a temporary solution. Eventually the pain begins to fade, and I open my eyes slowly. Standing over me is an unhappy-looking Maleficent, and I glare at her. I slowly stand up and brush myself off, and when I'm done doing so Maleficent begins to lecture me.

            "All I asked you to do was ring a bell. That was all you had to do, and yet I found you here, collapsed on the ground, and the bell hasn't rung anytime recently. Does that mean you're going back on our deal? Should I get it over with and kill everyone in this miserable town?" Nearly instantaneously my anger wells up within me, and I have to make my best efforts to not let it get in the way. Maleficent has a way about her, she always manages to provoke me into anger, and that always puts me at the disadvantage in our conversation. She does anything she needs to if it will anger me, using a certain tone, saying certain things, doing certain things, anything that will anger me, she will do, and I know almost unlimited hatred for her due to that fact. But, as always, I just have to do my best to clear my head of such feelings and be indifferent towards her, no matter how difficult doing so may be.

            "I would have done it, but-"

            "But what? The Heartless stopped you? Silly boy, of course they did. You are weak, lacking in power. Maybe soon I can fix that… In the meantime, however, go on and ring the bell. After that you can go and see your weak friend."

            "What? Sora's here?" I ask in surprise, hiding the eagerness within me. Maybe I can finally leave Maleficent and all her deals behind.

            "Yes, he arrived here not too long ago. But, we do have a deal, and if you do not ring that bell my threats will become reality. After you do so you can visit your little friend. He'll be heading to the Third District after you do so, I've made sure of it, and you can meet him there. Just, don't have overly high expectations." I stare at her long and hard, wondering what she could have done to make sure that Sora would go the Third District, but I'm not sure if I really want to know.

            I walk over to a series of cogs in the Gizmo Shop and randomly twist and turn them, not entirely sure as to what I am doing. Maleficent looks at me dubiously, wondering why I'm playing with some gears when I have a task to do. After I turn one gear in particular her question is answered when the bell ring, and the noise it creates is almost deafening. The ground vibrates beneath me and I grab hold of a nearby clock, trying to keep from falling down. Soon both the sound and the vibration subside and I cautiously let go of the clock. I look over to where Maleficent was standing, and find that she is gone. I shake my head and head out of the Gizmo Shop, looking around for an entrance to the Third District. I spot an exit to a balcony on one of the rooftops and head over to it, hoping that from there I can find it.

            When I exit out onto the balcony, I look down and see a small, well-lit plaza. There are no buildings whatsoever in it, and it is substantially different from both the First and Second Districts, so I naturally presume it to be the Third District. There is no sign of Sora, so I begin to head back into the Second District when a large wooden door opens, protesting against the movement with a loud creaking noise. I look down again and see Sora. No, not just Sora, but Sora and two others. One of them is a walking duck, and the other is a tall dog, rather noticeably one that walks on two feet. Such things would normally shock me, but when I first got hear I saw stranger things than that.

            What I am shocked by is that they're walking with Sora as a group would, as friends would. Could…could what Maleficent said be true? Has Sora replaced me with new friends? No, that can't be it. I continue to watch them from the balcony nonetheless, and I see a shadow rising from the ground, preparing to sneak attack them. I almost automatically jump from the balcony, taking out my sword and falling to the ground. My sword easily slices through the shadow, but in defending Sora my presence is given away.

            "There you are, what's going on?" I ask Sora, and he turns around. His face immediately brightens and it is clear that he is elated to see me again. I knew Maleficent was wrong, she had to be.

            "Riku!" he exclaimed, and his arms leapt out from his side, grabbing my mouth and prying it open. I push his hands away, incredibly uncomfortable after having my mouth forcibly opened.

            "Hey, hey, cut it out!" I exclaim, but like Sora I am happy too. It has been far too long since I've seen him or Kairi, and now I can leave Maleficent.

            "I'm not dreaming this time, right?" Sora asks, and the words "this time" raise some questions in my mind, but I don't care enough right now.

            "I hope not. Took forever to find you." I say calmly, and regardless of how much time really had passed, for me it has been forever, carrying out Maleficent's orders, traveling through darkness, even giving myself to darkness. But now I can put that all behind me.

            "Riku! Wait a second, where's Kairi?" After Sora says that my mood becomes more sober, and suddenly I'm not quite as happy to see Sora. I had been hoping that maybe Kairi would have been with Sora, because as far as I know I was the only one who entered the darkness.

            "Isn't she with you?" I ask hopefully, but I know that the answer will be no, so I continue on before Sora can answer. "Well, don't worry, I'm sure she made it off the island too. We're finally free." Free? How can I say that I'm free when I'm more trapped then ever. I was finally able to see new worlds, but I've paid the price in full, entering into a number of bargains that I shouldn't have made. "Hey, she might even be looking for us now." I conclude, but I doubt it quite a bit. However, I need to hold on to my hope, even if it means lying to myself. "We'll all be together again soon. Don't worry, just leave everything to me." I then begin to tell Sora of the cloaked man, "I know this-" Before I can finish my sentence Sora leaps out and slashes at a Heartless I had failed to notice, and he did so with a weapon that seemed to have just appeared out of thin air.

            "Leave it to who?" Sora asked, somewhat smugly, as the Heartless dissipated into nothingness.

            "Sora, what did you-" I begin to ask, but he cuts me off.

            "I've been looking for you and Kairi too, with their help." he says, and I am rather shocked that he was searching as well, somehow I envisioned him as helpless against the Heartless, maybe it has something to do with that sword he holds. It looks like little more that an oversized key, with a golden handle from which a silver key chain with a crown dangles, and the blade itself is a silver cylinder ending in a key shape. My interest is piqued by this item, and I have the overwhelming desire to learn more about it. However, I realize that Sora is beginning to notice my attention to the blade so I resume the conversation.

            "Who are they?" I ask. Who did you replace me with, Sora? At first I didn't believe, I refused to believe, but seeing you with that sword, defending it from me as though it was the most precious item ever in existence, I realize that Maleficent was right. You replaced me, Sora, you found new friends, and you found a weapon. But I wonder, what is so great about that sword. I stare at it intensely, and it disappears from Sora's hands. I merely shrug at that and listen to what his new friends have to say.

            "Ahem, my name is-" the duck begins, but Sora interrupts him, he's done that a lot in this conversation.

            "We visited so many places and worlds, looking for you." Sora states.

            "Really?" I ask to myself, "Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed."

            "Oh, and guess what? Sora's the Keyblade master. Who would've thought it?

            Keyblade? The sword he's holding is a Keyblade? I want to see it again, so that I might get a better idea of what it is. As though responding to my wants the Keyblade appeared in my hands. My eyes widened slightly, and I felt its weight in my hands. The blade felt so comfortable in my palm, it felt _right_ in my hands, like it belonged to me. I immediately felt a connection to it, a connection that I could not understand. I shook my head and my thoughts returned to the conversation at hand. Sora was complaining about Goofy's comment.

            "So, this is called a Keyblade?" I ask, more to myself than anyone else. Sora appears shocked to see the Keyblade in my possession and looks at his empty hand.

            "Huh? Hey, give it back!" He reaches out with his hand, trying to grab it, but I step backwards, examining the Keyblade some more. But…Sora seems to want this Keyblade. He seems to want it more than he wants to find me, or more than he wants to find Kairi. Is this what you want, Sora? You would abandon Kairi for a sword? If he wants it so much, I suppose he can have it.

            "Catch." I throw the Keyblade at him and he fumbles the Keyblade around a bit before catching it.

            "Okay, so you're coming with us, right? We've got this awesome rocket! Wait 'till you see it!" Before I can respond the duck immediately steps in and refuses to let me come along. Deciding that I no longer want to be around Sora and his new friends I exit the Third District silently, without letting him know of my departure.

            I sit down on one of the benches in the Second District. I hate you Sora, I hate everything you stand for. I hate you, I hate your friends, and I hate your Keyblade! You abandoned me, and you abandoned Kairi, for a weapon! It isn't even alive! You went and replaced us, your best friends, with new friends and a sword. I had thought you were better than that, but I see you now for what you are. You're no better than the Heartless.

            "I told you to be wary of him. As always, you do not listen." I turn my head and to my left is the cloaked man. "You never listen to others, only to your heart…and that is your greatest fault. The heart is nothing more than emotion, it lacks logic, reason, and knowledge. If you look to it for your answers, your life will be filled with misery. Look away from your heart, ignore it altogether. You can transcend your current pitiful existence if you do so." I want to yell at the cloaked man, I want to tell him that everything he says is lies, but everything makes so much sense, and the part of me that believes he is lying is my heart… My heart, it has been…deceiving me all along, telling me to look to it for wisdom, but where has doing so gotten me?

            "And how do I ignore it?" I ask the cloaked man, ready to leave behind my current self.

            "You would never understand. You know nothing of the heart and its deception, nor do you know anything of the darkness. You know so very little. One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

            "Just tell me!" I scream at him, refusing to let him get away without getting an answer of some kind.

            "Gain the knowledge necessary, and you will understand. Now go, Maleficent is waiting for you in the Third District. She has rather important matters to discuss with you. Perhaps your questions will be answered, and with knowledge, you will gain understanding." And with that he vanishes, and I go off to towards the Third District, ready to gain knowledge, to gain understanding.

            Ready to abandon my heart.

**Author's Note**- Review and whatnot, yadda yadda yadda. Sorry if this seems rushed, I'm trying to follow an insane schedule I created that I have no hopes of meeting but am trying to follow anyway!


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note**- Okay then. I'm going to try and fall into a regular schedule here. My aim is one update to this story every five days, but it will more than likely become a weekly thing. If so, any updates will occur on Saturday. Just thought I'd let you know.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

            I walk across the Second District until I come across the door to the Third District. I slip through it and see Maleficent, who is staring into a building. I walk to her side and look into the building, and I manage to get a basic idea of what is going on. Several people are in the building, talking about something from what I can tell, and I observe their silhouettes. I soon see Sora's silhouette and stare contemptuously at the window, pouring my hatred into my gaze. Maleficent quickly realizes this and smiles, and she begins to whisper through the darkness, poisoning me with her words.

            "You see? It's just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, now he values them for more than he does you. You're better off without that wretched boy. Now, think no more of him, and come with me. I'll help you find what you're searching for..."

            As often happens with me, I get into an argument with myself. The one side refuses to believe her, exposing her deceit and begging with me to not let my hatred obscure my rationale. But that part of me, which once held so strong a voice, has steadily been diminishing, fading away unto nothingness. I try to hang onto that part of me, but my efforts are not enough. It reminds me of Destiny Islands. So often I would grab a handful of sand, and I would always attempt to keep it in my hands, tightening my fist to leave it less room for escape. But every time it still managed to slip through my fingers, and the tighter I gripped at it, the faster it flowed through. The more I try to hang onto the part of me that is not encompassed within my darkness, the faster it goes away. And it leaves behind only the tainted parts of me. That side of me encourages me to listen to Maleficent, to believe what she says, for Sora no longer deserves any thoughts in my head, only Kairi…

            I turn around to see Maleficent walking away, and I follow her. She turns briefly to check that I am indeed following her, and when she sees me walking behind her she smiles a cruel smile and continues walking onward. As I do so I continue to think about my current situation. I'm not much better off siding with Maleficent that I am with Sora, that much I do know, but I wonder if all of this is truly worth the pain it brings me. I have yet to gain something from this deal, as meeting Sora only furthered my anguish.

            I then see Maleficent stop. I look at her curiously, wondering why she stopped, and she then began to make gestures with her wand. However, nothing happens, despite her satisfied look. She then continues walking, creating a portal in front of her. I follow after her through the portal, into the darkness. When I ask her about her momentary pause, she merely smiles and mentions delaying her troubles.

            When I emerge I find myself not in Hollow Bastion, but in a vast desert. As far as I can see white sand stretches out without a single sign of life amidst the desert. I look over to Maleficent and see her actively engaged in conversation with a tall man. Everything about his look speaks of evil, even the odd beard that juts out from his chin. He wears black and red robes with gold trim and in one of his hands is a malevolent-looking staff. The staff is crafted from gold and at its top was shaped to appear like a cobra, with two red jewels adorning it as the eyes. Perched upon the man is a colorful bird that listens intently to the conversation.

            "You brought the boy, I see." the man notes, and I instantly become suspicious. Why did Maleficent bring me here? The man continues on and answers my question. "He will be of some assistance in the search for the princess. Perhaps he could deal with that street rat as well."

            "The boy is in my service, not yours. Besides, his presence shouldn't even be necessary. It was only through your blundering that Jasmine escaped in the first place. As for the princess's would-be rescuer, consider him dealt with." Maleficent states rather coolly, belying and anger with the man she might have felt. The bird then began to speak, and I was shocked that it could do so.

            "Er…Jafar? Can we get back to this hunt for the lamp? All-powerful sorcerer wish ringing any bells? Perhaps stopping my molting?"

            "Quiet you fool!" Jafar yells, smacking the bird off of its perch. The bird fell for two or so feet before stretching out its wings. Just as it was about to hit the ground it managed to get enough lift to fly upwards, hovering above Jafar's shoulder before settling back down upon it. The bird looked down in dismay as a number of its feathers softly fell down into the sand. At this point I was tired by the overall incompetence Jafar seemed to hold and I turned away and began walking forward.

            "It is unwise to travel the desert without knowing where you are going, boy." I stop and shoot an angry glare at Jafar. He goes on undaunted. "This desert goes on for thousands of miles, without a single landmark to guide your way. You would walk in circles until finally your body would be strained to its limit, and then you would collapse before slowly dying. Trust me, setting prisoners out into the desert is one of my many methods of execution."

            "So how can you be sure you'll find your way back?" I counter before continuing to walk on. Two Heartless appear in front of me not seeking to attack me but to stop me. I look back at Maleficent, who holds her long staff, pointing it at the Heartless to control them.

            "We are not going back on foot." Maleficent says. "We will be traveling through the darkness. It is unwise to make trips through it for trivial matters, but we needed privacy for this conversation."

            "Nothing seemed that important to me." I remark coldly, and Maleficent merely smiles calmly.

            "Nothing that you heard. We spoke of other matters before you regained consciousness. Now then, let us depart. We must find the princess, just as we must find this Keyhole. Time is running out." Time is running out… an interesting concept. For me, time is always running out. Time to find Kairi seems to be running out. Time to break away from this darkness seems to be running out. Time to save my heart seems to be running out.

            It is then that a fierce wind picks up, kicking the sand up. I am forced to shield my face with my arms, and I note the burning sensation the sand causes as it bites my skin. Eventually the wind dies down and I look at the sand-covered ground. Despite the strength of the wind, despite the fact that the entire ground had been lifted from its resting place and blown away by the winds, the ground looks the exact same. The same nondescript sand covers it, with billions of grains of sand clustered together and appearing to become one massive sheet. The wind had disturbed the sand greatly, but there was no sign of the disturbance. Seeing this phenomenon gets at something within me. I myself have disturbed the universe quite a bit, laboring to leave my mark upon it. But, after I am gone, the universe will be like this desert. The wind that is my life will die, and the sand that I disturbed will settle down to the ground, and it will be as though I never had existed. Only the greatest of disturbances would be able to leave a permanent mark on this desert, and time is quickly running out for me to leave such a mark.

            I bend down and grab a handful of sand from the ground, pretending that it is time. I attempt to hold onto it, but as it always goes, the sand runs through my fingers, settling back onto the ground and appearing as though it had never been picked up in the first place. Eventually the last grain of sand slips through my grasp and drops down to the ground. I realize that the desert is so much like life. How ironic then, that the desert is almost a symbol of death. But, maybe that makes it all the more symbolic of life. For life inevitably dies, and the impact of life inevitably subsides.

            "Come Riku. I cannot wait for you forever." I am snapped out of my thoughts and turn around to see an impatient Maleficent. I shake my head and walk over to her. As she creates the portal I take one last look out into the desert, and I make an oath to myself. No matter what I have to do, whether it be for light or dark, I will make my presence known, and my life will not fade throughout time.

            Such a promise sealed my fate.

**Author's Note**- Yeah, I know that this is shorter than usual, which is pretty short, but this seemed like the logical place to stop. I experimented by making this chapter a little more angsty than what I usually do. If you like it, please say so. If you don't, please say so. I'm trying my best to make this story good, and only by knowing what you the reader wants can I make it good. On a related note, it could be one or two weeks before I update this again. I am contemplating taking a brief break from writing to read and analyze the styles of other authors. I'll find what I like and see if I can incorporate it into my writing. In other words, sort of a writer's vacation. However, I could update WAY before then, so feel free to check back often. And this ultra-long author's note ends…now.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

            "Jafar…" Maleficent calls out to the sorcerer calmly and without emotion, her voice carrying a strong sense of authority. Jafar stops momentarily, unsure whether or not he should stay and listen to Maleficent or simply go and show some signs of independence. Ultimately he stays, and I lean back against a wall, ready to listen to the conversation.

            Agrabah is a rather dull place, and yet a most captivating place at the same time. At first glance, the color white is all that shows. The white sands of the desert long ago blew into Agrabah, burying the streets that hoped to resist against the desert, the slow destroyer. The walls of the city are white as well, and like the sand it is a yellowish shade of white. Almost everywhere they have been chipped and scarred. The desert winds mercilessly throw sand at these walls like daggers, and the years of abuse are easily noticeable. I wonder how long it will take before Agrabah becomes nothing more than a little fable, a place that long ago prospered, but then faced ruination from the desert.

            After this first glance has passed though, Agrabah's full splendor becomes apparent. The market area is filled with the booths of vendors, with ornate tapestries covering every square inch of the booths, calling the eye to their bright colors. The products vary greatly as well, from dining ware to actual food to jewelry to the tapestries themselves, perhaps getting most of their sales from other vendors.

            Above all else, this place is a quiet town. I know that it should not be so, that usually the streets would be bustling with activity, but a silence nonetheless has prevailed. I believe, or really know, that this is due to the Heartless. I saw one or two of the dark beasts earlier, stalking us with the swiftness and stealth of shadows, but never coming near enough to register as a threat. Perhaps an escort of some sort. The main thing I notice is just how empty this town is. Some of the booths appear to be on the verge of collapse after being neglected for days, perhaps even weeks, and at the fruit booths the fruit rots, and yet even the rats don't dare to attempt to feast on the readily available meal. This place is currently a mere ghost, eternally silenced by death and fear, waiting to resuscitated and brought back from the abyss of darkness it stands before. I would rather let the place be buried forever, for this is one more memory I'd rather not have. One more time that I submit and one more time that I go against my nature and fail to stand up for what I am.

            But really, what am I? A delusional fool perhaps, who bargained my way into servitude and subservience. A disillusioned fool perhaps, who somehow believed that it was possible to save my friends and live happily ever after only to find that there was no happily ever after, only unending sorrows. No matter what though, I was, and still am, a fool for siding with Maleficent. But there is no changing the past, no matter how much I wish that I could.

            Out of the corner of my eye I spot a girl clad in a light blue outfit wandering around the city cautiously, as though hiding from something. I turn to tell Maleficent and Jafar of her, but I find that they are gone.

            I walk alongside Maleficent through the streets of Agrabah Her demeanor shows no emotion whatsoever, perhaps in part to make sure I wouldn't find out anything. She had gone off with Jafar to discuss something and had made absolutely sure that I didn't follow. They had discussed something of great importance to them, and I have the feeling that it deals with me. In fact, I know it had something to do with me, because were it anything else she would have let me stay with them and allowed me to stand there, because she knew I wouldn't care.

            As we near a small alley Maleficent stops and motions for me to do the same. I throw a questioning glance at her and she quickly answers my unasked question.

            "Now then. That fool Jafar will ultimately fail. He arrogantly believes that he can control the darkness." I have to stop myself from saying 'Like you?', and instead continue to listen. "He will be swallowed by his darkness, but not until after having proved of some use, or so I hope. Regardless, you are to find the princess of heart. She is on this world, and I need you to bring her to me."

            "Fine." I state coldly, apathy prevalent in my voice. Maleficent merely smiles before continuing.

            "And I'll need you to find the door to the heart of this world as well." She coolly states, the words flowing from her mouth in a manner that suggested that the task was trivial.

            "What?" I yell in protest before narrowing my gaze. "This wasn't part of our deal. I don't have to do it. Go and do your own dirty work." At this Maleficent merely grins in a sadistic manner.

            "The original offer, perhaps, but I'm changing it. You'll do as I ask. It's all for your benefit. Why, if you open the door to this world, it would make it so much easier to find that other friend of yours. She's probably lost, and all alone. Who will come to rescue her? That ingrate friend of yours?" At first I don't listen to her. Her words are concentrated poison, seeping into the mind and twisting the ideals held within it. I shake my head, refusing to believe what she says, but my mind turns to my encounter with Sora. Would he rescue Kairi? No, he'd be too busy showing off that keyblade of his. And even if he did, Kairi would be grateful to him. Him, that no good, treacherous, ungrateful, lying weakling! He might think he's strong, now that he has that keyblade, but without it…he'd be weak, I know he would. I've battled him, and I've battled the Heartless. When it came down to skills in battle, Sora wouldn't defeat them without a lot of help, even with the assistance of two talking animals. If I could take that keyblade away from him… I banish the thoughts from my mind, plotting vengeance against Sora won't help me find Kairi.

            "So, what will it be?" I look back at Maleficent and hesitate before answering. Do I go along with her? Of course I do. The only reason I wouldn't is to save myself, and there's no saving me now. I realize this fact now, for my last hopes had been in Sora, and he crushed them. But Kairi can be saved, so I'll save her, no matter what it takes. Even if it means my doom, I'll save her.

            I have nothing else to live for.

**Author's Note**- Things got yet shorter this time around. Sorry 'bout that… but, I absolutely promise that next chapter will be usual length, weighing in somewhere around 2000 words, maybe longer if I feel like it. I just can't get any more writing out of this one little tiny section. Why not go further? Well, I'm trying to separate the chapters involving my own plot from scripted scenes. That's right! With next chapter comes another one of those lovely scripted scenes, but without any actual words in it. Y'know, where he…oh I'm not telling you now. You either know already or can find out next chapter. See ya! Actually, before I go, just figured I'd share something with you. Due to saving my chapters in both .doc format, so that I can easily look at the chapter, and .htm format, so that it will look good when it goes up, I now have twenty-six files for this story. That's way too many considering that I only get a slight portion of this computer's memory for my MS Word files. The question is (do not answer this in a review by the way), do I delete the files through eeny-meeny-miny-mo, or… do I assign them a number and do that whole random integer select thing with my calculator? I'll have to think about that.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the intellectual property of Square Enix and Buena Vista Games.

            When a person looks at light and darkness, they see two very separate entities, completely independent of each other. They could never fathom just how intertwined the two are, how in reality they are parts of one single entity. But, where does light end and darkness begin? I cannot begin to guess, nor can anyone else. If someone thinks they know where the two meet, they are naught but a fool. The line between the two is indistinguishable, and by the time a person has found that they are crossing over to the other side, the threshold between light and darkness has already been crossed. I can speak from experience. Perhaps the turning point was where I chose darkness over light in the Netherworld, but to think so would be foolishness, for it would be stating where the border between light and dark was. It wasn't then, nor can I really quite point at any event and say that it was then when I turned to darkness. I can't even say that I have turned to darkness, but I know that I am in danger of doing so. Every day more and more light fades within me, and the darkness of my heart grows stronger. What little light remains merely encourages my transition to darkness.

            Perhaps some would say that I'm fooling myself, attempting to convince myself that no one truly knows about the borders between light and darkness merely to hide the truth from myself. What truth? I ask them. There is no truth in my life, not anymore. Sora is no longer the friend I once knew, but a living lie, playing the role of savior, when in reality all he does is destroy. Destroy my hopes, destroy my dreams, and destroy all that was once great. Even I live a lie, failing to stay true to what I am. I was always confident, but at the same time I had some sense of honor, almost in a chivalric way. More importantly, I was nobody's slave. Now I stab people in the back and spread the will of others, while drowning out what little remains of my true self. Or perhaps my false self, for my truth is being warped, with truth being lies and lies being truths. As always, I don't really know.

            That's the real problem for me. I don't know anything anymore. I don't know what is right and what is wrong, what is truth and what is deception, what Maleficent is planning, and above all, I don't know where Kairi is. The one thing that actually still matters to me now is finding her, but I haven't made the least bit of progress on that task. In so many ways I've failed.

            But why lament what is done? As it is, I have more important things to do. Find the door to the heart of the world. Not too hard a task, Maleficent assured me, but who does she thinks she's kidding? An entire world, and only one door. Finding it wouldn't be merely difficult, but nigh impossible!

            And yet, when has the impossibility of a task deterred me? Never. I stubbornly press on instead, refusing to give up, refusing to give in. All strength starts with strength of will, not strength of mind, body, or even heart. Even though a great portion of my will has disappeared into the ether as of late, I still find strength, though even I cannot understand where it comes from. Another thing that remains unknown to me.

            Of course, even with that willpower, I still can feel frustrated. And after ten hours of futilely searching, frustration has welled up within me and then overflowed the limits of my restraint. To compound my problems, Sora showed up, yet Maleficent explicitly told me not to go near him. Something about a wrong place and a wrong time for vengeance.

            Quite naturally, fate has made sure to tempt me to do just that. Here I am, stuck in the Cave of Wonders, sitting near a door that will not open. This door was the latest in a series of doors that got my hopes up, then turned out to be a no go. I would've left immediately after Maleficent told me it was not the door, but something about it resonates within me. Some sense of familiarity, like the aura was similar to one I encountered before. It is quite weak, but still it is present, and each time I attempt to leave, that aura seems to manifest itself with incredible strength for just a moment, calling out to me, beckoning me to it. An irresistible lure.

            I think that it is the door to the heart of the world.

            "You little brat! Why are you still here?!" The anger present on his face makes Jafar look almost comical, and the stifled snickers only add to that rage. I do have to show restraint in front of Maleficent though. I've come to learn that she dislikes insolence in any way, shape, or form. Still, it has become very difficult to not laugh at Jafar, whose idiocy and incompetence are diluted amongst his incredible luck. Somehow he has gained Maleficent's favor, though not her approval. Maleficent still disagrees with his methods. He must have done something to put that fact into relative obscurity. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that beside him is the slumped form of a young woman. Another Princess of Heart, quite obviously. Maleficent looked displeased enough that Jafar had gotten to her before I had. The end result was the same, so she must have disagreed with the means. Why though, I didn't know, and this was one time when I didn't want to know.

            The item of most interest is the rather glum blue spirit next to Jafar. A genie, Jafar called it. It would grant any three wishes. Jafar seemed rather inclined to waste his wishes. Were I to have such an all-powerful being at my disposal, I already know what I would wish for, but perhaps even omnipotence would not be enough to grant them. In fact, I know that it would take far more than being all-powerful to grant the deepest desires of my heart. But really, I suppose no desire of the heart can be granted, for the heart is an individual entity that no amount of power can affect. It is impossible to place, or perhaps remove, love into the heart, or any other emotion at that. The heart is really the ultimate weakness of everybody, for it is uncontrollable. Thoughts can be controlled, physical actions can be controlled, but what hope do humans have of not realizing fear when going against death, or joy when one of those elusive desires becomes reality. None at all. Humans are unpredictable creatures, for they themselves cannot predict their actions. All because of the heart. Such weaknesses are why I need to cast aside the heart, become a so-called "shell", yet be far superior to anyone else. Maybe then I could stand up to Maleficent and maybe, just maybe, I could do what I've wanted to do all along.

            "You…street rat! Answer me!" I look at Jafar with an air of nonchalance, and then proceed to smirk. Watching him become more enraged then ever at first fills me with the uncontrollable need to laugh, and after repressing that instinct I decide to tell him just why.

            "Because…this is the door you've been looking for." Hearing this, Jafar quite simply goes ballistic.

            "Enough of this! You fool! I don't know why you're being so insolent, but respect those who know far more about the hearts of worlds than you could ever imagine knowing! This is not the door, and I'll prove it once and for all! GENIE!" By the time Jafar finishes talking, Maleficent has also adopted a look of contempt.

            "End this pathetic squabble now." Maleficent says, with her usual calmness. "It is unfitting that there be infighting amongst us. Our ranks dwindle, as does our strength. Apparently, so does our sensitivity to the world around us. The child wielding the key comes nearer, and neither of you felt his presence. Riku! Be gone! We cannot afford the keybearer seeing you." With a quick flick of her hand Maleficent casts some sort of incantation, and everything disappears, replaced by the void.

            "So many times now. So many times have you been sent into darkness, and so many times have you resisted it. Some small amount of light still remains, undiminished despite the total eclipse of the rest of your heart. Some core emotion remains, and it is what keeps you from collapsing. But what emotion? What emotion could resist darkness?" I lift my eyes open, and am unsurprised to see the cloaked man in front of me, almost invisible amongst the darkness.

            Or, is it really darkness? I can't really tell. I can almost see faint outlines amongst the darkness, but they might as well be hallucinations.

            "Welcome back Riku. Welcome to the place that doesn't truly exist, yet the existent still come here. No light is within this place, yet light is still brought within. A place of contradictions, a world in between all others. I studied this world briefly. Once, when all three components were within me, I sought to learn about this place, this area which neither light nor darkness can pierce, yet light and darkness still comes within. However, never could I have imagined this. To you, it is all a void, nondescript darkness, yet to me, there is more here than I ever saw before, in that world you and so many others cling desperately to. Entire cities rest here; cities that make any towns of the present world appear insignificant, yet you see none of it, remaining blind to all.

            "But what could blind you, the person who has seen truth for what it is? How could the person who found out that within lies there was the ultimate truth be blind? Surely, there could be nothing stopping you from seeing the truth of this world, to stop you from looking at the lies this world presents and finding the inherent truth. Is it that you've stopped looking for the lies within truth, and thus become unable to eliminate possibilities? Or is it that you have all three components? The body, soul, and heart are all present within you, and this denies you the third power that is required to exist, or really not exist, in this world. But to see in this world, is the third power truly necessitated? Is it that vital that you be able to have the power beyond light and darkness?

            "Such a thing cannot be. I am now and forever shall be a being of darkness, yet I can see this world for what it is. I can see every detail. I cannot truly exist in this world like you can, but those who belong here cannot exist anyways, for they are non-existent. Is it your existence here that prevents you from seeing? It must be, for in this world of contradictions only those who don't exist can truly exist here. If so, what causes that existence? What is the true source of your blindness?

            "It is your heart that blinds you, or more accurately what light remains within blinds you. I am an existence solely of the heart, but without light, I can see the true depth of this world. Soon enough, Riku, you too will see this world for what it is. Soon enough, that light shall be drowned out in an unending sea of darkness.

            "Soon enough, you'll be without a heart."

**Author's Note**-Whew! I pretty much just sat in front of the computer and did a marathon session to write this. I wound up delaying the inevitable scripted scenes…again. Maybe I'm just trying to lengthen the story? Who knows? All that I know is that after going so long without an update for what is easily my most popular story, I needed to do something! The pressure was on, and it was thicker than pea soup, or is that fog? It actually came together rather well though. It can easily take me hours upon hours to complete a chapter, I usually average five hours per chapter just because I have to search within the depths of my mind for something to write, yet this one just came to me. Took me an hour and a half. Still a fairly long time for 1900 words (so close to 2000), but for me it's really quick. I put off updating this until after I was completely over writer's block, and time-wise it's paid off. Good or bad thing? I truly do wonder. Please tell me. And a HUGE thank you to everyone who's reviewed this! You're the ones who keep me going. To everyone who reads but doesn't review, I grudgingly thank you for at least giving this a chance. That is all.


	15. Chapter 15 Finally!

****

Disclaimer- Yeah, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and Disney.

In an instant the dark depths of the void are gone, as is the cloaked man, replaced instead by searing light. I am forced to close my eyes to mere slits, and gradually the light comes into focus, and taking the place of a solid sheet of white is the room in which Jafar and Maleficent had previously been holding a discussion. Part of me feels quite dizzy, woozy even, and I begin to question just how much these trips to the darkness and back are taxing my strength. I think I'm getting a bit feverish too, as it feels so hot. It's as though an inferno recently, or perhaps is in the process of sweeping through the room.

Before I can really go into the logistics of such a concept, I am immediately reminded of my first objective when one of the blurred objects takes the distinct form of a half-unconscious princess.

_"You are to find the princess of heart…"_ The words echo throughout my mind, and I begin to stumble over to the princess, admittedly rather tired after a stressful day. I really keep thinking that I should have taken another minute or so to _really_ think about Maleficent's offer back in Hollow Bastion, as my acceptance cries of ignorance. I've become little more than a puppet to her.

I shove the thought aside as quickly as it comes. It isn't going to do me any good brooding on the situation, at least not right now. First and foremost is getting the princess. Maybe then I can finally bring an end to this deal with Maleficent. My end of the bargain will be held up to its full extent and then some, so I'll be free to go and find Kairi on my own. I'm sure that Maleficent said that she knew of Kairi's location merely to bait me into the deal, but one the off chance that she really can lead me to her…

Just as I begin to pick up the princess, who must have fainted or something, as she's proven unable to register my presence, I look down to find something to my alarm. Most of what was formerly the floor has ripped out, most likely by force, and it looks as though whatever force took the floor out in the first place was doing battle. Judging by the size of the floor, my guess is that it was the massive red, almost spirit-like monster that bears an uncanny resemblance to Jafar. I don't really care about him though, as my attention is immediately drawn to the figure fighting the monster, which I'm going to presume is indeed Jafar.

Sora. I can see him now. The distance makes him pretty small, but the basic shape is that of him, and more importantly the figure is holding a distinctly key-shaped blade. I watch him run about, trying with limited success to dodge Jafar's attacks and retaliate with his own. Of course, considering that the platform he's fighting on is too small to allow him to attack Jafar, and that the platform is surrounded by lava, explaining why it was so hot in the room, and Sora couldn't exactly rely on physical combat.

Every now and then though, Sora would do something I never would have though him capable of. He would cast spells along with the talking duck, which I've noticed and recognized now. Yet even when they combined their magic, the attacks would dissipate harmlessly against Jafar, who rubbed it in with commentary about the futility of resistance. I couldn't help but smirk at this point. If Jafar did in Sora and company, well, it would be a small loss. If Jafar became the one to push up daisies, I think I'd rather enjoy it. Death is the ultimate, and rather final, lesson for arrogance.

Much as I wanted to, though, I could not watch the battle. There were more important tasks at hand. I began to take hold of the princess, ready to take her back to Maleficent, but my first effort was rather half-hearted. Just as I had gotten most of her body off the ground she slipped through my grasp and fell to the ground. Well, really she fell onto the platform we were on, which stood in front of the now-opened keyhole. The shock of hitting the ground woke her up, and the first thing she did was look around the room, rather confused. In the background I hear something involving Jafar and lamps, and realizing that the battle between Sora and Jafar was nearing an end, I hastily grab the princess and take her off. She manages to get off one quick and thankfully silent scream before I muffle her with my free hand.

I look around the limited confines of the room, and realize that I don't really have an exit. The keyhole won't take me anywhere, and by the time I would manage to safely cross the room with captive in tow to get to the other side of the room, the battle could be completely finished, thus freeing attention for the muffled screams overhead. Thinking without reasoning, I decide to risk the keyhole and thrust both the princess and myself into its darkness.

"It took you long enough." The cold and apathetic voice calls throughout the darkness. Well, I can't really call it darkness now that I think about it. It's more of a pandemonium, a chaos caused by the clashing of light and darkness. Looking around me, I find it rather fascinating. So this is the heart of a world, equal parts light and darkness…

"Don't take too long looking at the scenery. The heart of a world is dangerous in how it pulls at lesser hearts. Besides, we must go. There's a very important meeting, and you're to be the guest of honor." I recognize the voice as belonging to Maleficent, and I unconsciously heed the order, walking in the direction from which her voice comes. After taking a few steps the light within the heart of the world reveals the faint shadow of Maleficent, slowly being encompassed by one of her trademark portals. By the time I see it though, the portal sucks me in, along with the princess.

The trip through the darkness was mercifully short, and when I emerged I was standing in the somewhat familiar halls of Hollow Bastion. Maleficent had already taken the princess from me and was putting her into some sort of containment, much like that which contained the other girl I had retrieved for Maleficent. The realization dawned on me that I had probably blacked out. Or, the more likely reality, Maleficent had forced me to black out with her sorcery. That way I wouldn't have time to think about the morality of allowing a perfectly innocent girl to be rendered unconscious and locked in some sort of magic cage.

Not that I care about one girl. It's really not my fault at all. This sort of happens all the time. There are times when we must make sacrifices to get what we want. This girl was merely a casualty. One of many, perhaps, as even I don't know the true extent of the consequences of my actions. It's not like Maleficent would tell me if I was doing anything that would lead to mass murder. Nonetheless, all who suffer due to my actions, I care not about them or their pathetic misery. Why should I? My heart tells me I should, but logic overrides that. I've never met most of the people I've affected. And those that I did know, well, I probably did the universe a favor when I killed Gaston near the start of this nightmarish bargain with Maleficent. That might not make what I've done right, but it does make it excusable at least.

Regardless, I shrug the idea of guilt off and turn my attention to Maleficent, who appears to have finished sealing the girl in her prison of sorts. She beckons to me to follow her, and I do so. As I'm led through the many twists and turns of Hollow Bastion, it becomes evident to me that this place is really one massive labyrinth of narrow corridors, which makes it perfect for defending against attacks, large or small.

After what seems like an hour of walking, we finally arrive in a very dimly lit room. The only source of light is, in fact, what looks like a glowing green crystal ball. Through the darkness I see one faint silhouette, lit more by the fact that the head of the silhouette was ablaze with pale, deathly blue flames. Seeing my entrance, along with Maleficent's, he outstretches a hand and immediately begins to chatter.

"Hades, lord of the underworld, at your service. Want something, anything, done? Well, it can all be yours, potentially along with a Formula One racing car, at the low, low price of your soul!" I merely look coldly at him until he puts his hand down, muttering something about "kids these days" under his breath.

"Enough. There are more important matters at hand." Maleficent immediately takes control of the three-way conference, or do I see a fourth person very faintly through the darkness? "We must discuss Jafar's recent failures, and the lessons that could be learned from it." Hades then decided to pipe in his own brand of "wisdom".

"Lesson? What lesson? That smarmy vizier could've had 'em… if _someone_ had stuck around to give him a hand."

"Hey, I did my part." I reply casually, not wanting to reveal the anger I felt at his statement. "I brought the princess, didn't I?"

"Jafar was beyond help, consumed by his own hatred." Maleficent stepped in, ensuring that no more infighting occurred. She then proceeded to reproach Hades. "One should beware of letting it burn too fiercely." Maleficent made sure that she was looking right at Hades when she said it, putting Hades on the defensive.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, lighten up. I'm as cool as they come, okay?" Trying to appear calm and friendly, he then talks to me. "By the way, kid, have _we_ got something special for _you_." I really dislike him; he constantly sounds like he's making a sales pitch. It could be worse, though, I suppose. He could be arrogant like Jafar. Yet, I realize something… he said they had something for me?

"Huh?" I barely manage to get out the incoherent question, wondering in Maleficent actually intends to make good on our deal.

"We had a deal, yes? You helped us, and we grant you your wish…" She trailed off in a cautionary manner, but I can't stop the joy from bursting out when the crystal ball at the center of the room is filled with an image from Kairi. Finally! All my effort, all that I've done, it all pays off now!

"Kairi!" I can hardly hold my excitement, for I note only get to reunite with Kairi, but I get to leave Maleficent and her "bargains" behind.

"Go to her. Your vessel is waiting." Vessel? I then notice that the silhouette I thought I'd seen before moved and took the unmistakable form of a rather stereotypical-looking pirate captain who spoke in an equally stereotypical voice.

"Just remember: this is no pleasure cruise. It won't be a pleasant voyage." Looking at Maleficent, I realize that something about what the pirate captain said made her smile with satisfaction.

"Why are you doing all this for me? What's the catch?" I ask both questions warily, knowing that Maleficent has found some way of making my reunion with Kairi far from a happy one.

"Catch, what's the catch? Silly boy." I notice with disdain that she's adopted her tone that makes me feel like a child. She's purposely angering me now, but I have to avoid the temptation to take me sword and… "You're like a son to me. I only want you to be happy." The words manage to draw my focus away from my temptation born of bloodlust, but when she touches my face, almost as though trying to do so like a parent, my anger flares beyond my control and I force her away.

"I seriously doubt that." My words are filled with all the venom and accusation I can muster, making sure that Maleficent knows full well what I think of her lies.

"Believe what you wish." Her inflection is made to purposefully sound hurtful. "But lest we forget, I kept my end of the bargain." The words seem designed for the express purpose of saying something along the lines of 'Our deal is done, but soon you'll be forced to make another one with me'. Still, I can't let my anger with her and her idea of a bargain get in my way, so I simply quell my anger and follow the pirate captain, who later introduces himself as Captain Hook. He then goes into a long spiel about how he earned the name, but I don't really listen. One thought burns in my mind, and my will to make the thought reality has become unstoppable.

Kairi, I'm coming to save you, no matter what Maleficent does.

****

Author's Note- Well, I suppose I really should apologize for taking so long to update. I'm gonna be surprised if all my readers haven't given up on me. Anyway, I'll be making a much better effort to update frequently, so… in the meantime… review! Honestly, it's great encouragement for me to continue! Come on! You know you want to…


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